Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has confessed that he believes the Premier League is a stronger division than La Liga.
The Dutchman was wanted by a whole host of English sides in 2018, with Manchester City thought to have been incredibly close to striking a deal, but it was Barcelona who eventually won the race for his signature.
Speaking to The Mirror, De Jong admitted that his opinion of the Premier League has changed in recent years as English sides have grown in stature.
“I used to think that La Liga was the strongest football league in the world. You could see their dominance in European Cup competitions," he admitted.
“The Spanish clubs always progressed a long way and often grabbed the main trophies, the Champions League and Europa League.
“When it comes to pure skills, La Liga is better. But because of the sheer intensity, the English competition is at a slightly higher level.”
Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman revealed that City's Pep Guardiola was incredibly keen on De Jong back in 2018, and he was full of praise for the midfielder.
“I had discussed two names with Pep for a long while – and those names were Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt," he admitted.
“Frenkie is now one of the best midfielders in the world. His biggest quality? He has the ability to wait one of two more seconds before he decides what he is going to do with the ball.
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Source : 90min