Joao Cancelo has hailed Frenkie de Jong as the player who has impressed him the most since joining Barcelona on loan.
The full-back was a deadline day loan signing from Manchester City, and has quickly established himself as a key player in Xavi’s plans – making 21 appearances during the first half of the 2023/24 season.
Speaking on podcast 1PARA 1, Cancelo was asked which of his new teammates has impressed him the most since his move to Catalonia, and it didn’t take long for him to praise a player who was linked with a move to Manchester United for much of 2022.
“Without a doubt, Frenkie de Jong,” Cancelo said. [Ilkay] Gundogan he’s fantastic too but I already knew him. The impact, greatest impact I have had in terms of quality, here has been Frenkie de Jong,.
“If you trained with him or saw him train, you would realise that he has different things.”
Cancelo joined the La Liga champions on loan on the same day as fellow Portugal international Joao Felix, and while Cancelo has been an undeniable hit at the club, his compatriot has been criticised for his performances in recent months.
Speaking about Felix, Cancelo insisted that his teammate can “make a difference” for Barcelona moving forward into the second half of the season, highlighting the fact that he plays in the spotlight far more than other players.
“Felix is pure talent. I think there is a lot of talent in Portugal in general. But I think Felix is one of those who can really make a difference, he has, as I say, different details from the others, at least from the players I’ve played with.
“It’s not easy, especially at his age, where he leaves his comfort zone. leaves his home and the comfort of his family, where if something goes wrong he always has someone with him. But as I say we players have to get used to this.
“He’s a player, and quite rightly very much in the spotlight here in Spain. He faces strong media attention. Anything he does, for better or for worse, will be a headline in a newspaper. And sometimes you have to know how to deal with that because I think it’s also very important for us to have the stability to deal with these things.”
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