Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has jumped to the defence of coach Ronald Koeman.

With Koeman's job on the line, De Jong told Nu.nl that his compatriot is a good coach and revealed he "hopes" that the Blaugrana boss stays at the club.

He said: "A lot is being written now. I haven't had any contact with people from the club now, nor with Koeman, so I don't know what's going on. What I hear, you hear too. I'll wait.

"I don't know if that's true (that Koeman will leave). I can't judge that. All I can say is that I have a good relationship with Koeman. For me he is a good coach. So I hope he stays.

"Barcelona is, of course, one of the biggest clubs in the world. If you don't become champions, there's always nagging. So in that sense it doesn't surprise me (that there is speculation)."