Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has now revealed the real reason why he refused to leave Barcelona amid interest from Manchester United and Chelsea.

Speaking to NOS on international duty with Holland, De Jong revealed when and why he decided to stay at Barcelona, saying: “I had already decided in May that I wanted to stay.

“So I was very calm myself. I now feel welcome at the club. Nothing has ever changed with my teammates.”

He added on his lack of regular minutes in a press conference: “I didn’t start against Bayern in the Champions League. You want to play important games.

“When I play less, I do notice it. Not really in terms of the technical aspect because you still know how to play football, but more so in the physical aspect.”

De Jong has started just four of eight games for Barca in all competitions this season and is evidently already frustrated with his lack of game time.