“So I don’t think this is a slam dunk that he’s going to one of the best sides, shall we say.” Nicol’s ESPN colleague Craig Burley also has reservations over De Jong.
Burley says his career has stood still, or gone backwards, since his move to La Liga. The former Scotland international said: “If I was looking around Europe for a player at the moment, I’m not taken to Frenkie de Jong.
“At Ajax he was a terrific player but as Stevie said, it seems to have plateaued. In fact it might not even be as good as that, he was taken off in one of the recent games by Xavi.
“Whether it’s confidence or Barcelona themselves have struggled a little bit, or whether it’s just bad timing for him going to that club.”
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