BARCELONA
Aleñá upset with Barcelona over De Jong jersey ordeal
Carles Aleñá said the club gave De Jong the jersey without consulting him and the La Masia product says "things happen at this club that I don't understand"
Carles Aleñá spoke up after Barcelona gave his jersey number to Frenkie de Jong without consulting him first and says it wasn't a very nice thing to do. Aleñá will wear the number 19 jersey this season instead.
"The truth is I feel hurt that the directors never sent me a message to ask me about the change of number," he said after his number 21 jersey was handed over to the new summer signing.
"There are things that happen at this club that don't make sense sometimes. You can't promise De Jong the number 21 jersey without speaking to me first."
De Jong has the backing of his teammate, however, after he played an unwitting role in the situation. "They obviously gave it to him without thinking," he said. "De Jong is a great guy."
Aleñá admits that the central midfield is a little crowded but says he doesn't see Ivan Rakitic leaving despite recent reports of a potential move away. The Spanish youngster says his Croatian teammate is an important player moving forward.