{
  "id": 17384971,
  "title": "De Jong talks Xavi’s Netherlands appointment and difficult Barcelona injury spell: ‘Was a little surprised’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/de-jong-talks-xavis-netherlands-appointment-and-difficult-barcelona",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-31T10:40:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/jong-talks-xavi-netherlands-appointment-104000370.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong discussed former club legend Xavi Hernandez's appointment as the new Netherlands manager in a recent interview with Dutch broadcaster NOS. Xavi called de Jong prior to his appointment and expressed his intention to work with him in the national team setup. De Jong admitted he was slightly surprised by Xavi's decision, as the Netherlands had not had a foreign coach for some time. He acknowledged that Xavi's appointment could be a positive move for the national team, noting their successful partnership in Barcelona and his understanding of Xavi's tactical approach. De Jong also spoke about his recent injury and lengthy recovery period, which prevented him from starting the season with Barcelona. Despite the challenges, he expressed confidence in his recovery, having faced less uncertainty about healing compared to his previous ankle injury.",
  "summary": "In a recent interview with Dutch broadcaster NOS (h/t Mundo Deportivo), Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong revealed that club legend Xavi Hernandez called him prior to being appointed as the new Net...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Times",
        "title": "Mbappe, Real Madrid and La Liga face long road to redemption in China",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/mbappe-real-madrid-and-la-liga-face-long-road-to-redemption-in-china",
        "published": "2026-10-30T07:44:32.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}