Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong vows to improve

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has insisted that he will improve after an underwhelming start to the season.

The Netherlands international completed a big-money move to the Spanish champions from Ajax over the summer, and the 22-year-old has scored once and provided one assist in six outings this term.

De Jong was one of a number of players to struggle in Barca's 2-0 loss at Granada on Saturday night, though, and the Dutchman has vowed to put in a higher quality of performance for his new club.

"[Central midfield] is a simple position on the pitch and in the next matches I will do better. I have to adapt and I have talked with [Ernesto] Valverde about football issues and we have watched videos. The coach should not ask me where I prefer to play, as he is the coach and he decides," De Jong told reporters.

"At Ajax and with the [Netherlands] national team I played in central midfield, but it is different because we played with a double pivot. Against Real Betis and Osasuna I played wider and if I didn't play well then it was my fault. People began to debate about my position, asking if I had to play here or there, and it seemed crazy."

Valverde's side will look to return to winning ways when they host Villarreal on Tuesday night.