De Jong, Koeman's right eye

Ronald Koeman doesn't know a Barcelona without Frenkie de Jong on the pitch. The midfielder, although he has even been seeing playing at CB, is vital in the system of his Dutch compatriot.

Until now, the ex-Ajax player is the only footballer in the Barca squad to start all of the matches: 7 in La Liga and 3 in the Champions League.

At 23, De Jong has made himself the boss of the midfield of a team that bit by bit is starting to show the identity of manager Koeman. Although even, as it happened against Deportivo Alavés, he has been seen playing in the centre of the defence.

The Dutchman is the player that has been on the pitch the longest this season (890 minutes). Yes, even ahead of Leo Messi, who has 854 minutes until now, as the numbers of ProFootballDB show.

However, Barca expect a bit more from him. De Jong is aware that he needs to gain confidence to become a player that everyone wants to see. What better way to revindicate himself than doing it in the friendly between the Netherlands and Spain...