The Dutchman made an impact in the game as Barca came from behind to win 2-1, starting off at full-back and then moving into midfield.
De Jong says that he has no problem playing in defence but that his best position remains in midfield.
“If the coach asks me to play in defense, then I play in defense. But that won’t be the case in the long term. Everyone knows that I am a midfielder,” he told ESPN.
“The coach came up to me just before the break and then he said, can you or do you mind playing right-back for 15 minutes? And then you go to the midfield afterwards. That was fine. Everyone really knows that I am a midfielder and not a defender.
“That has been done before. At Ajax sometimes too, at Barca sometimes too, with Koeman back then too, with Xavi sometimes,” De Jong recalled.
“Those were really incidents or if we still had to win. So there are trainers who have put me there, and I mean, I think I can do that fine.”
De Jong is now with the Netherlands squad for Nations League fixtures against against Greece and Germany.
