Frenkie de Jong concedes he will never reach the level of Johan Cruyff despite his performances prompting comparisons with one of Ajax s greatest ever players, and insisted he will not be distracted by the praise that comes his way.
The 21-year-old has been one of Ajax s most impressive players in a campaign that has left them second in the Eredivisie after 13 games and he starred in a 3-0 victory away at NAC Breda on Saturday.
That win came after De Jong s important contributions for Netherlands in their 2-0 win over France and a 2-2 draw with Germany in the Nations League.
Responding to comparisons with one of football s most revered creative players, De Jong told De Telegraaf: I do not try to attract too much of it, and I focus on what I have to do.
It s nice to hear of course, but I m really far from Cruyff s level, and I will never be, so I do not have any illusions about that.
Frenkie de Jong: My quality is my intuition. I can t just ignore that, can I? Then I d be a player of whom there are a thousand of my age.
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague)
De Jong has been the subject of speculation linking him with a move away from Ajax, with Barcelona reportedly interested in a deal that would take him to Camp Nou along with 19-year-old defender Matthijs de Ligt.
Teenager De Ligt has built on his impressive campaign in 2017-18 with a string of good performances at the back for club and country, and he has been tipped as a contender for the Golden Boy award that recognises European football s best players under the age of 21.
He responded to the suggestion by telling ATS: I do not consider myself a golden boy, I am a normal boy.
Of course such a thing is nice, but I do not know if it will happen.
