Barcelona earned a hard-fought 2-1 LaLiga win over Atletico Madrid on Sunday (November 8), thanks to a Fermin Lopez brace.
One of the more overlooked developments in the game was De Jong coming on at half-time to replace youngster Brian Farinas at right-back.
It’s not the first time the 29-year-old has been forced to fill in defensively this season, De Jong also played at centre-back during the 6-1 win over Alaves.
This is, of course, because of Barcelona’s ongoing defensive injury crisis, with Jules Kounde and Xavi Espart currently out injured, and Eric Garcia only just returning.
Still, now Netherlands boss and Barcelona legend Xavi isn’t a big fan of how Flick is using De Jong.
"Yesterday against Atletico, De Jong played as a lateral. It is not what I have in mind for him, although I also placed him as a centre-back at Barca,” Xavi said, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo.
But what I am clear about is that Frenkie is a 'top' player who can play in any position, as a '6', as an '8', he is 'top' as a player.”
De Jong will undoubtedly be playing in his preferred position when the Netherlands face Greece in the UEFA Nations League on Friday (November 13).