"Luuk de Jong is a brutal professional". That was what Xavi said a week ago, after Barcelona overcame their struggles against Mallorca. The Dutchman was the unexpected hero of the match as he scored the winning goal.
The striker, on loan from Sevilla, continues to advance and gain supporters at the club. Yesterday, in front of Granada in Los Carmenes, he once again showed that he is a striker number 9 and is able to face difficult situations in matches.
Luuk de Jong's first months were difficult. He was previously signed with an "aura" of irony. This was Koeman's request after the departure of Griezmann and did not meet the aspirations of the Barcelona fans. That, combined with his unfortunate first performances with no goals scored.
But with the arrival of Xavi and, above all, with his never-ending list of injured, de Jong took the opportunity to make it clear that he was useful. Either as a striker (he is the only striker in the area that Barcelona has in the team) or as a card that can be paid in the last minutes in the opposite cases.
Two goals in the last two league games (they picked up four points) and constant attempts to score like the three chances against Mallorca or the goal questionably disallowed at Los Carmenes has reflected everyone's attitude towards him.
With his perseverance and good work, both Xavi and Barcelona seem to see his continuity at the club in a positive light. It also appears that Morata's signature is increasingly complex. Luuk is now close to ending the season he signed on loan.
Although, everything will depend on the space left in the salary block needed to register Ferran Torres and whether it is possible to identify other departures such as Umtiti or Yosef Demir.
Finally, Xavi said at a press conference: “Luuk helped us a lot. We'll see what happens with Ferran's score, but I'm very happy with him." We'll see what happens in the next few days...
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