De Jong played 45 minutes against Bodø/Glimt, but was left behind in the dressing room after the break. “The substitution was already planned and with a view to what is to come,” said the striker in front of the RTL7 camera. De Jong in a possible starting spot against Ajax on Sunday.
PSV eventually won 1-2 and remains in second place in the group due to Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Zurich. As a result, the people of Eindhoven do not go directly to the eighth finals of the Europa League, but must first survive an intermediate round. ,,We knew it was going to be difficult here, especially on the artificial grass. It always takes some getting used to turning and turning. If you play on it more often, you have an advantage, that makes sense.”
,,We created a lot of chances and played well at times. Sometimes we had to collapse and leave the game to Bodø/Glimt, they did that well. I want to compliment them on their playing. It is a football team and you could see that.”
A tough job awaits PSV in the interim round. Bayer Leverkusen, Sporting CP, Red Bull Salzburg, Shaktar Donetsk, Juventus, Sevilla or Barcelona are the opponents of the Eindhoven team. If Sevilla or Barcelona are linked to PSV, it means a return to the old nest for De Jong. “I don’t really have a preference. Ultimately, you want to get as far as possible in such a competition, so it’s better if you loot an easier opponent. A return to Camp Nou seems wonderful to me. I had a great time there.”
View the summary of Bodø/Glimt against PSV below.