"I want to play against and beat the best players" - Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong's comments on Cristiano Ronaldo resurface amid Manchester United transfer interest

Frenkie de Jong's comments about Cristiano Ronaldo have resurfaced amid rumors of a possible move from Barcelona to Manchester United. The Dutchman had named the Portuguese star a 'top player' and claimed he always wanted to play against the best.

Ajax were set to face Juventus in the 2019 Champions league and Ronaldo was a doubt for the match. de Jong was not happy that the Portuguese star would miss the match, even though it would have improved Ajax's chances of winning.

Speaking to De Telegraaf in 2019, de Jong claimed he wanted to compete with the best and hoped that the Juventus star recovered from his injury. He was quoted saying:

"I hope that Cristiano Ronaldo has recovered from his injury and plays. He's a top player and although the chances of us winning are greater [if Juventus] are without him, I want to play against and beat the best players."

Ronaldo went on to play both the legs of the quarterfinal tie, scoring once in each match. But even that wasn't enough as the Dutch side won 2-1 away to seal a semifinal berth.

Will Barcelona's De Jong join Ronaldo at Manchester United?

Frenkie de Jong opened up on the interest from Manchester United last month. He claimed that he was not thinking about the move as Barcelona were yet to inform him of a bid.

He added that he was keen to stay at Camp Nou, telling AD.nl:

"Of course I hear about the links to Manchester United, but the people in charge of the club (Barça) didn't tell me anything. So then I will assume that there is no agreement, and that nothing is going on. So then I won't worry about it too. If I have been in contact with Ten Hag? I won't tell you this. I wouldn't tell you this if it was about another manager or club too. I did talk with Xavi about next season, but that was just about football, about the squad and what is needed to improve."

When quizzed about the possibility of Barcelona being forced to sell him to balance their books, he added:

"I understand that. But the club didn't tell me anything. They didn't propose anything to me, so I am assuming that nothing is going on. I have never felt regret regarding choosing Barca, definitely not. Barca is the club of my dreams, it has been since I was a kid."