Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez has backed Luuk de Jong ahead of Thursday night’s clash with Napoli.
Barca are preparing for this week’s battle with Napoli at Camp Nou in their Champions League round of 16 first leg clash.
The Blaugrana were a shock departure from the Champions League, dropping into the Europa League.
Xavi’s men will now be hoping to win the Europa League for the first time in their history.
And surprisingly, striker de Jong could be relied upon to make the difference.
The Dutchman was highly criticised following his loan deal from Sevilla, but he has turned out to be quite the signing, already directly winning five points for Barca this season.
And ahead of the clash with Napoli, Xavi has backed de Jong, praising the striker for his application in both training and games.
“The professionalism, the way he trains, the dedication, the attitude, the always being ready…he is a professional,” Xavi said in his pre-match press conference. “He is a serious professional.
“Then he goes out on the pitch and he proves it. How you train is shown on the pitch, and he shows that.
“He scored that goal that got us the draw. He is able to get into the area and do well, escape with the ball.
“I am sure he is ready. No doubt.”
De Jong scored a stoppage time equaliser for Barcelona against Espanyol last time out, and he will be hoping to make a similar impact on Thursday night in the tie of the round.
