Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has admitted that he expected the Catalan giants to try and force him out of the club by frequently leaving him on the bench in recent months.
The Dutchman was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer transfer window, but a move failed to materialise - despite the two clubs reportedly agreeing a fee for the 25-year-old. De Jong was adamant that he did not want to leave the Camp Nou under any circumstances.
He has since admitted that he was under 'pressure' from newspapers and club president Joan Laporta, but claimed that it never 'baffled' him as he was certain that he would be remaining in Spain.
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"I was calm. I decided in May that I wanted to stay. My opinion has never changed during this entire period," De Jong told Ziggo Sport.
"I stayed calm. But then you know the pressure would start to come... Yes, from the newspapers, from the president, exactly. From everywhere actually. But I wanted to stay at Barca so it never baffled me."
De Jong has made 10 appearances for Barcelona in all competitions this season, however, the majority of those have come from the substitutes' bench.
The former Ajax man, who played under United boss Erik ten Hag at the Eredivisie outfit, started on the bench in the Champions League matches against Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, as well as in LaLiga games against Sevilla, Rayo Vallecano and Celta Vigo.
The 25-year-old midfielder has only started three domestic matches for Xavi's side, and just once in Europe. Despite his lack of game time so far this term, De Jong suggested that he was not surprised by his lack of minutes - but admitted that he was hopeful of featuring in Sunday's El Clasico against bitter rivals Real Madrid.
"I want to be a starter again. Against Bayern, I was not a starter and I hope to be against Real Madrid," De Jong added. "Maybe he has already decided, but normally we don't know until the day of the game."
After failing to secure a move for De Jong in the transfer window, United moved late to sign defensive midfielder Casemiro from Real Madrid. The Brazilian has impressed since his summer switch and starred in the 2-1 victory over Everton last weekend.
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