Frenkie de Jong has admitted there was "pressure" put on him to leave Barcelona for Manchester United in the summer.
The Dutchman was strongly linked with a switch to Old Trafford during the most recent window with claims that the Catalan giants were keen to sell in order to alleviate their financial woes.
In the end, despite the Red Devils reaching an agreement over a big-money fee for the ex-Ajax star, a move did not come to fruition. De Jong wasn’t convinced of a switch with United in the end electing to make a move for R eal Madrid ’s Casemiro in a £70m switch.
With De Jong now set to remain at the Camp Nou until at least January - and potentially further beyond, he has spoken of his decision to stay despite being pushed towards the Barcelona exit door.
Speaking with Ziggo Sport, the midfielder said: “I was calm. I decided in May that I wanted to stay. My opinion has never changed during this entire period.
“I stayed calm. But then you know the pressure would start to come... Yes, from the newspapers, from the president, exactly. From everywhere actually. But I wanted to stay at Barca so it never baffled me.”
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Despite having elected to stay in Catalonia, the current season has not quite panned out the way that De Jong will have wanted. He has fallen down the pecking order at the Camp Nou having started just a possible four matches out of a possible ten in all competitions.
It remains to be seen whether he has the opportunity to return to the starting line-up this weekend with Barca set to tackle fierce rivals Real Madrid in the latest offering of El Clasico.
De Jong has already laid down his ambitions of regaining his starting place ahead of what promises to be a key clash between the two Spanish giants.
The midfielder continued: “I want to be a starter again. Against Bayern, I was not a starter and I hope to be against Real Madrid. Maybe he [Xavi] has already decided [his team], but normally we don't know until the day of the game.”
Whilst De Jong’s immediate future remains at Barcelona, he continues to be linked with a switch to the Premier League. United are reportedly still interested in a swoop for his signature, with rivals Liverpool having also recently been linked with a move for the Dutchman.
Like the Red Devils, Jurgen Klopp’s men did also manage to add to their midfield options in the summer window as they welcomed Arthur Melo from Juventus on a season-long loan. However, the Brazilian has endured a nightmare start to life at Anfield having made just one appearance. He is set to be ruled out for the foreseeable future having undergone surgery.
