Hansi Flick reveals Barcelona star that he turns to – ‘I speak with him a lot, I want to know his opinion’ | OneFootball

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has given a staunch defence of star midfielder Frenkie de Jong. The Dutch midfielder has been a frequent topic of debate during his six years at the club, but has finally started to make the midfield spot his own under Flick.

De Jong, who is out of contract next summer, was at one time considered a financial burden for the club, with Barcelona attempting to move him on three summers ago. However tensions between the two have cooled over the past year, and now de Jong appears set for a contract extension to take him into his thirties.

‘Every supporter of Barcelona can it’s great to have him’ – Flick

Flick was asked about the divisive nature of de Jong’s figure amongst the fanbase, with some feeling he does not justify his spot in the team over others, or perhaps does not make the difference for them. However the German manager was unaware of that sentiment.

Image via El Nacional

“I never had this feeling, I’m not involved in all this social media thing, and I’m totally out of it in that regard. I think that’s a good thing. Every supporter of Barcelona can see it’s great to have him in the team. For me it’s fantastic to see, because he enjoys training, he enjoys playing with these guys. And he has huge quality. At the moment it’s like that, with Pedri, with Frenkie, it’s not easy to press us.”

Flick consults de Jong for his insight

He also continued on to reveal that he at times consults with de Jong often, believing the former Ajax product’s opinion carries weight in his own decision-making.

“I speak with him a lot, because I want to know his feelings, I want to know his opinion. If this feeling is out there, then I think it comes from outside. It’s a pity, because he is great. But no-one in the team, no-one in the club, thinks differently about him.”

Warning of increased difficulty

Following a strong start to the season for Real Madrid, who made it six wins out of six in La Liga on Tuesday night, talk has begun of a potential 100-point season for Los Blancos. The Barcelona coach warned that this season would be harder than the last.

“I don’t know. We’ve done a good job these games. But if you look at last year, we had ups and downs, but we’re focused on ourselves and what we can do. We know that this season it will not be as easy for us. That’s what we have to do.”