Former Barcelona striker Julio Salinas believes Luuk de Jong can prove a clever addition.
De Jong has joined Barca on a season-long loan from Sevilla.
Salinas wrote for Mundo Deportivo: “The arrival of Luuk de Jong surprised me, but (coach Ronald) Koeman knows him perfectly and will know how to exploit the virtues of his compatriot so that the team can be competitive throughout the season.
“De Jong is a classic centre-forward and Barça lacked this piece since Luis Suárez left, who was not a benchmark nine either but was capable of playing with his back to the rival’s goal. I don’t dislike De Jong , he has good numbers, and I think he was unfairly criticised in his early days at Sevilla, something that ended up taking a toll on him at Pizjuán.
“De Jong is more of a reference than (Martin) Braithwaite, who I think has not convinced Koeman and in the first league games the Dane played more for the wing to take advantage of his defensive sacrifice. It remains to be seen what the role of the Dutchman is when Kun Agüero recovers, but De Jong perfectly dominates the aerial game, makes good space and knows how to protect the ball well against the centrals.
“He can give you alternatives to be more direct and in those complicated games in which the only solution is usually to hang balls in the area to finish off.”
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