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Barcelona defender Gerard Pique could not resist poking fun at teammate Frenkie de Jong with both players part of the squad currently in Germany for a pre-season training camp ahead of the 2021-22 La Liga campaign.
The squad have been spotted racing each other in golf karts on the way to the training pitches with De Jong teaming up with Netherlands teammate Memphis Depay and happy to take on Pique.
Memphis subsequently posted an epic photograph of the race which led Pique to hit back by comparing De Jong to former child star and Home Alone actor Macaulay Culkin.
The Barcelona players have enjoyed a strong pre-season so far, enjoying wins over Nastic, Girona, and Stuttgart. The team is set to play one more friendly on Wednesday against Red Bull Salzburg before heading back to Barcelona for Saturday’s Joan Gamper Trophy clash versus Juventus.
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De Jong Looking Forward To New Season
De Jong has emerged as a key player for Barcelona and is looking forward to the new season with the Catalan giants. Ronald Koeman will take charge for a second campaign and De Jong told Diario Sport he is expecting more from his team in 2021-22,
“I think we have improved the squad for this season, we’re growing as a team, it’s the second year with the coach and things usually improve in the second season,” he said. “I think this year we will have opportunities to fight for and win big trophies.”
The midfielder also opened up on manager Koeman and explained what his coach wants from him. He added, “My relationship with the coach is very good, I know him from the national team and he asks me to take responsibility and to improve every year. Nothing else.”
Praise For Memphis
Koeman will have new signings such as Sergio Aguero, Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia, and Emerson Royal available next season which should help strengthen the team. De Jong knows Memphis well from the Netherlands national team and is backing his compatriot to shine.
“For me, Memphis is a player with a lot of quality, he can give us a lot because he can run at players, he scored goals, sets goals up, works for the team. I think he improves the squad,” he said. “Memphis is good with the group and the group are good with him. He’s integrating well. In addition, it’s easy when you play well, that helps a lot.”
Memphis has already made an impact a pre-season, scoring in friendly wins over Girona and Stuttgart, and has also drawn praise from Koeman. He told Mundo Deportivo, “Memphis is an extremely difficult player to defend. But beyond what he brings, Memphis has come with a lot of hunger to show his quality; we are very happy.”
The Dutchman is expected to play a key role in attack next season alongside captain Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou. His early goals in pre-season bode well for the future and Barca will be hoping he can take that goalscoring form into the new campaign.
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