"I think it's clear to everyone how important he is to the team" - Hansi Flick on Barcelona star after Girona win

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick expressed admiration for Frenkie de Jong’s progress after their 4-1 win over Girona in LaLiga on Sunday (March 30). The Dutch midfielder came on as a substitute and impressed in the 24 minutes he spent on the pitch.

De Jong was out of action for a huge chunk of 2024 due to an ankle injury. He returned to playing for the team last October, but he hasn’t really been a regular starter.

He came on in the 66th minute in the league match against Girona and assisted his side’s third goal of the game 10 minutes after he was introduced. Speaking after the game, Hansi Flick reflected on his first meeting with De Jong after he joined Barcelona. He praised the midfielder’s improvement and made it clear that he is important to the team.

Flick said (via Barca Times):

"I spoke with Frenkie on my first day here. He had a serious injury then. He's come back step by step, day by day. He's improving and getting better every time, and now I think it's clear to everyone how important he is to the team."

In the ongoing season, Frenkie de Jong has scored two goals and provided two assists for La Blaugrana in 31 appearances across competitions. He joined the Catalan club from Eredivisie side Ajax Amsterdam in 2019 for a reported fee of €86 million.

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‘‘This is the mentality’’ – Hansi Flick reveals what he loves about his Barcelona team after 4-1 trashing of Girona

Hansi Flick waxed lyrical about this side’s performance after they put Girona to the sword to extend their lead at the top of LaLiga.

Barcelona put four past their Catalan rivals, and Flick said he loves his team’s desire to always want to score more goals.

“It’s our idea, we always want to play in offence, attack, create chances,” Hansi Flick said via Barca Blaugranes. ‘’If there is a possibility to try and score a goal, always try and score. This is what I really love about my team. They always want to score goals.

“When you saw the counter-attacks we had, I saw not only the strikers but the attacking midfielders, also Frenkie de Jong, who was sprinting nearly 90 metres or something like that, this is the mentality, the attitude of the team and it’s good. I think everyone loves it, to see more goals than normal and of course the fans do. Everyone is happy at the moment.”