Barcelona played Frenkie de Jong out of position after leaving him out of their starting line-up for their opening pre-season friendly.
The move came just days after the Dutchman – who has been the subject of prolonged and sustained transfer interest from Manchester United – slammed the Catalan club on social media by liking a post that was critical of their treatment of him throughout the summer.
United have agreed an initial transfer fee for De Jong of £56.2million and the club will not give up on a deal despite the transfer saga now spanning out over two months. The English club are confident that the player is open to moving to Old Trafford – despite reports from the Spanish press – with the deal being held up due to monies over to him.
