Van Persie says De Jong right to reject Manchester City in favour of Barcelona
Former Manchester United and Arsenal striker Robin van Persie has backed Frenkie de Jong’s decision to turn down Manchester City in favour of Barcelona.
The Catalan giants confirmed their £65 million signing of the Ajax midfielder on Wednesday, with the deal set to go through at the end of the season.
Barça saw off competition from some of Europe’s top clubs, including City and PSG, to land the 21-year-old.
Van Persie believes his compatriot has made the right decision, as he follows in the footsteps of Dutch legend Johan Cruyff by swapping Amsterdam for Catalonia.
"If I had the option of Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Barcelona, I would make exactly that choice too,” Van Persie told Dutch outlet NOS.
“Barça is a beautiful club, it seems to me. He also plays in their way, he is a smart player, technically gifted, he sees the game very well, and when he starts playing with guys like (Lionel) Messi and (Sergio) Busquets, he’ll get even better."
Van Persie also believes the big-money move is further evidence of Dutch football’s recovery, after the Netherlands missed out on qualification to the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2016.
"You see players breaking through in England, at Liverpool and Manchester United, and now Frenkie is going to Barça,” he said.
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“We are in a good phase again. The Oranje is playing well again and enjoying it all, I would say."
Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.