Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has suggested that Tottenham Hotspur’s Steven Bergwijn is the toughest opponent he has ever faced.

The 22-year-old midfielder joined Barcelona from Ajax on a five-year contract for €75m (£65.3m) during last summer. He has made 37 appearances for the club in all competitions and has impressed in his first season at the Catalan club.

The midfielder is currently back in Amsterdam during the coronavirus outbreak where he took part in a live video chat with the Barcelona website on Monday.

When De Jong was asked to comment on the toughest opponent he has ever faced, he came out with a surprise name.

Bergwijn joined Spurs in the January transfer window from PSV Eindhoven for a reported fee of £26.7 million. The Dutch midfielder is in his early days at the north London club but he has made a strong impression among the fans already.

The versatile Netherlands attacking midfielder, who can play across all three positions up front, has scored two goals already in five Premier League games thus far.

It’s good to see that De Jong has named Bergwijn and not any of the established stars of world football as his toughest opponent. Bergwijn is a fantastic young talent, and it remains to be seen how he fares for Spurs going forward.