Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong admits he plays in a "completely different way" for the Netherlands than for Barcelona.
De Jong started in the Netherlands's stunning 4-1 Nations League win at Belgium on Friday night as they continue to make strides under coach Louis van Gaal ahead of the World Cup.
Van Gaal opted for a back three formation consisting of Nathan Ake, Virgil van Dijk and United target Jurrien Timber, with De Jong ahead of them in the middle of a three-man midfield.
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In the absence of a stellar striker, Van Gaal paired Memphis Depay and Steven Bergwijn and Depay scored twice while Bergwijn also struck.
Barcelona are open to selling De Jong, 25, due to the club's financial peril but De Jong stressed in midweek Barca were his "dream club" and that his preference is to stay.
However, De Jong struck a different tone in the wake of the Netherlands's win at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.
"Of course, I play in a completely different way for the Dutch national team than for Barcelona. I think this suits me a lot better," De Jong told NOS.
"I like it when I am one of the first points of contact in midfield from the defence." When asked if his desire is to get on the ball as often as possible, De Jong replied: "Yeah, sure."
Van Gaal said of De Jong and Bergwijn "It's unbelievable how those two played... and Frenkie always hits the mark in Orange."
When he took over as United manager in 2014, Van Gaal imposed a back three system after his success with it at the World Cup with the Dutch national team, who came third. However, the experiment failed and Van Gaal abandoned it after three Premier League games.
United contacted Barcelona about De Jong's availability last month and the club have not ended their interest despite the midfielder outlining his commitment to Barcelona.
De Jong is contracted to Camp Nou until 2026 and his agent, Ali Dursun, has represented Donny van de Beek since October.
