Frenkie de Jong has surprised fans by displaying a ridiculous burst of pace to beat Ousmane Dembele in a sprint .
The Netherlands midfielder's game is more about control and precision than speed but that doesn't mean he doesn't have it in his locker.
Prior to a Barcelona pre-season friendly, a number of players took part in a dash to the halfway line.
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De Jong was in the same group as Dembele, a player with serious pace to burn. But despite Dembele having the edge on pace on FIFA 22, where it's 93 to 81, it was the Dutchman who left him in the dust.
De Jong absolutely went for it from the off and turned on the jets beat his rapid teammate, with the footage doing the rounds on social media.
According to speedsdsb.com, De Jong had a top speed of 31.80 km/h in last season's Champions League and we'd love to know what numbers he reached in his sprint against Dembele.
Manchester United's top transfer target scored in Barca's 6-0 thrashing of Pumas UNAS in the Joan Gamper trophy match at the Nou Camp on Sunday.
And on the day that United were beaten 2-1 at home by Brighton and looked shoddy in the middle of the park, the former Ajax star showed the Red Devils exactly what they are missing.
De Jong came on as a substitute and slotted into the deep lying midfield role as opposed to the centre-back position he has been playing in for Xavi Hernandez.
In one stunning sequence in the second half, De Jong orchestrated an attack on his own when he received the ball under pressure from Dani Alves, sent his former teammate and another opponent to the shops.
He drove through midfield and played through a pass in behind the backline.
There continues to be plenty of speculation regarding De Jong's situation at Barca, with the latest update being that the Blaugrana have asked him to rescind his current deal and revert to his previous contract.
The club claim they have found evidence of criminal actions on behalf of the previous board who signed his contract renewal in October 2020.
Topics: Frenkie De Jong, Barcelona, Manchester United, Ousmane Dembele
Josh Lawless