Barcelona heavyweight confident of playing 90 minutes amid fitness worries | OneFootball

Frenkie de Jong’s performances and fitness have been quite a worrying prospect for Barcelona this season.

Even after returning from injury, the Dutchman has been far from impressive, in terms of his fitness. This has impacted his performances as well, with the midfielder facing fierce criticism from fans.

Although Hansi Flick maintains faith in de Jong, the midfielder must soon get back to peak physical form, if he is to survive at Barcelona.

De Jong confident of playing full matches

To that end, de Jong himself has stated in a recent interview that he feels quite confident of playing ninety minutes for Barcelona.

Providing an update on his fitness, de Jong said (h/t SPORT), “The ankle injury was very hard and long, but I feel much better. If it depends on me, yes, I would say that I am ready to play 90 minutes.”

The Dutch international also responded to speculation linking him away from Barcelona, firmly stating his desire to remain in Catalonia.

Can De Jong regain his old form this season? (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)

“My best moments here have been many because I always wanted to play for this club. It’s forever special to wear this shirt. What I do hope is that my best moments at the club are yet to come,” he said.

Regarding Barcelona’s ongoing form, the midfielder added, “It’s difficult to explain. If we knew what was happening we would fix it. The important thing is to always be one hundred percent focused because if that’s the case we can beat all our rivals.”

De Jong has played a minimal role for Barcelona so far, primarily due to the fact that he has fallen behind Pedri and Marc Casado in the pecking order.

The midfielder, therefore, hinted that he does feel more confident in a position where he enjoys more of the ball.

“I like to play in any position in midfield. I adapt, but it’s clear that I feel more comfortable in a position where I can intervene a lot and have more ball,” he said.

Praising teenage teammate Lamine Yamal, the Dutchman said: “Natural talent. Everything comes naturally to him. He’s a very talented player and I hope he keeps improving, keeps enjoying playing as much as he does now.”

Finally, de Jong touched upon the topic of Barcelona’s former manager Xavi Hernandez, who recently professed his admiration for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“He did a good job with us. Now we have a new coach, who is also working very well. What we hope is that at the end of the season, we can say that we have won a title,” he concluded.