Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has addressed the speculation surrounding his recent injury, using a public appearance to deny several reports about his fitness, his relationship with the club and his alleged refusal to play in a major match last season.
The Dutch international is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a tear to the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
While the focus should now be on his recovery, De Jong revealed that the reports circulating around his situation had become a growing source of frustration.
Speaking to Barça Play, the midfielder said he had decided to publicly respond because, in his view, false stories were beginning to affect his image.
“I feel there’s a lot of hype surrounding me, a lot of fake news and things like that, and it’s bothering me.
“That’s why I’m here today, to set the record straight,” he began.
De Jong denies reports surrounding his Barcelona situation
The Barcelona midfielder explained that several claims made about him were simply untrue.
“A lot of things are being written that aren’t true, and I’ve noticed that they’re damaging my image and affecting the way some people view me.”
Frenkie de Jong has finally addressed rumours about his situation. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Quite particularly, he called out Spanish journalist Gerard Romero for spreading false news in the press.
“Take Gerard Romero, for example. He – the one who started all this – said that I refused to play against Atlético in the Champions League last season
“That’s not true. It’s not true. It simply didn’t happen.”
De Jong was particularly firm in denying the suggestion that he had refused to make himself available for the match.
He also dismissed reports claiming that there were problems between him and the Barcelona manager.
“Then he said that my relationship with the manager is very poor, and that’s completely untrue.
“I also think we’re living in a time when, for many journalists, publishing the news has become more important than making sure the news is actually true.”
The Dutchman clearly felt that the time had come to respond directly rather than allowing the speculation to continue without his side of the story being heard.
De Jong calls out Gerard Romero
Frenkie de Jong has hit out at journalist Gerard Romero. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
The Barcelona captain did not avoid naming the journalist he believes was responsible for several of the claims.
He strongly rejected reports about his relationship with Barcelona, his manager and his alleged availability issues.
“I refused to play against Atlético Madrid – not true. My relationship with the manager is very bad – not true. My relationship with the club is bad – not true I’m being punished – not true.
“And that was Gerard Romero; I want to mention his name because I believe he has told other lies in the past.
“I won’t ignore this any longer.”
The midfielder then made it clear that he would continue to challenge claims that he believes are inaccurate.
“I’ll mention Gerard Romero’s name again because he needs to understand that if he goes out and says things that aren’t true, I’ll come out and say they’re not true,” he concluded.