Frenkie de Jong's gone from the transfer market to key player at Barça

When Barcelona were looking to sign Bernardo Silva last summer, the club put Frenkie de Jong on the transfer market. In order to sign the Portuguese international, a major sale was needed and the club received a more than satisfactory offer for the Dutchman from Manchester United. The agreement between clubs was total, but the player did not want to leave.

Possibly because the transfer window was still open and there were still hope of a sale, De Jong was a regular on the bench in the first few games of the season, being placed by Xavi at centre-back in most of the pre-season outings. Once the window closed, though, he began to gain prominence.

Now he is indisputable in the line-ups of the coach from Terrassa and one of the most important players on the team. This is how the player himself feels, who made it clear on Thursday in statements to RAC 1 that all that is forgotten and that he wants to play for Barça for many years to come. So does the club, who now consider him non-transferable and essential in Xavi's project.

De Jong has been growing as the games have gone by and has benefited from Xavi's commitment to four midfielders. Busquets, Gavi and Pedri began the campaign as undisputed starters, but by expanding the number of midfielders in the XI, De Jong has had a place.

His importance is demonstrated by the numbers. He is the second midfielder with the most appearances this season (32), second only to Gavi (35) and ahead of Busquets (31) and Pedri (30). In minutes, he will also be second after this weekend's game in Bilbao. He has played a total of 2,347 minutes. Gavi has played 2,433, Pedri 2,366 and Busquets 2,319.

With the four midfielder formula, De Jong has grown by positioning himself close to Busquets. He helps in the build-up and has the license to break lines knowing his back is covered. The four together are key in preventing counter-attacks and in the fact that Barça have conceded so few goals.

Xavi has brought together the players who lose the fewest balls. And the coach is delighted with their work. "Frenkie has the potential to do whatever he wants. He has all the conditions that a Barça midfielder should have", said Xavi about a player he considers irreplaceable.