Barcelona supporters can’t believe Xavi made Frenkie de Jong play defense.

BloggerKayrico July 24, 2022

39 1 minute read

Frenkie de Jong played defense in Barcelona’s preseason El Clasico triumph over Real Madrid in Las Vegas on July 23.

The Dutchman replaced Andreas Christensen in the second half and played in the back four.

Fans were perplexed. Frenkie De Jong held his own against Real Madrid’s strikers and even began attacks. Multiple reports linked the 25-year-old to Manchester United this summer.

New manager Erik ten Hag wants to reconcile with his Ajax protege. Paul Pogba and Juan Mata left Manchester United as free agents this summer.

FULL TIME! #ElClásico 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/J2S3hIkY6k
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 24, 2022

Barcelona apparently wants to trade De Jong to free up funds, but he wants to stay. Fabrizio Romano says Barcelona and United have agreed on a €85 million deal for the midfielder. After his performance against Real Madrid, some fans made fun of the Dutchman. Some thought he’d play defense to avoid United. One admirer compared him to former Barcelona player Javier Mascherano, who became a center-back. Twitter reactions to De Jong playing defense:

Commentator: Frenkie De Jong must be saying, "Please Xavi, I'm OKAY playing as a defender as long as you don't send me to Manchester United!" 😥😥😂😂😂 #ElClasico
— Bwogi (@bwoginius) July 24, 2022