With Manchester City reportedly being interested in a move for Frenkie de Jong, a certain Andres Iniesta lavished praise on to him in 2019.
As relayed by Barça Blaugranes, the Barcelona legend gave his thoughts on the Dutchman’s move to his former club four years ago.
Considering Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was claimed to be keen on signing Frenkie de Jong, as per a report on Sunday, how Andres Iniesta has always felt about him is worth revisiting.
What Andres Iniesta said about Manchester City-linked midfielder Frenkie de Jong in 2019
It seems like the treble-winners are interested in signing an advanced midfielder after Ilkay Gundogan’s decision to sign for Barcelona.
With Mateo Kovacic being much more suited to playing as a traditional left-sided No.8, perhaps the former Ajax talisman, branded as ‘very intelligent’ by Lionel Messi has been eyed as the type of midfielder that can play the same role as the ex-Sky Blues skipper.
Whether Manchester City actually ramp up their pursuit to sign Frenkie de Jong remains to be seen but they may be encouraged by the fact that Andres Iniesta rates him immensely highly.
The World Cup winner touched on the Dutch international as well as Arthur Melo’s moves to Barcelona, saying, “I see them as two exceptional players, with a huge amount of influence on the pitch. They understand the philosophy of the game. They control the tempo, the ball, the situation…for sure that they will have a great ascendancy within the team.”
Manchester City do not necessarily need a midfielder like the Dutchman
While Andres Iniesta is spot on about Frenkie de Jong being an incredible footballer, that does not indicate that Manchester City are in need of his services.
Much like Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic, the 26-year-old is also an out-and-out central midfielder and cannot be considered as a threat in the final third at all.
As a result, while De Jong would likely thrive under Guardiola’s tutelage, he would not necessarily add much to the Premier League champions’ existing artillery.
