Dynamo De Jong raring to go

Chris Bailey
Manchester Evening News
Saturday 24 January 2009

NIGEL De Jong glories in the nickname 'the Terrier' and City fans are hoping his bite is as big as his bark.

At 18m euros the 24-year-old Dutch enforcer comes with a hefty price tag but attached also to some glowing recommendations.

The man who reluctantly sold him to the Blues, former Tottenham boss Martin Jol, described De Jong as the best in his position in Europe and the Eastlands faithful will be banking on that reference being spot-on.

So eager were City that their third signing of a busy transfer window should hook up with his new teammates that the ink on his four-and-half-year deal had hardly dried before he was whisked on to a private jet and heading for the warm weather training camp in Tenerife.

De Jong, who is a successful entrepreneur in his own right with a car dealership specialising in jazzed-up super cars, arrived in style in the early hours of Thursday morning bleary-eyed but clearly excited about the challenge of moving to the Premier League after three years in Hamburg where he became a firm favourite.

A fan of boxing and in particular the great Muhammad Ali - he watched old footage of 'the Greatest'- during his four-hour flight, De Jong, himself, is a man well-versed in punching above his weight.

After a tough upbringing in one of the less forgiving Amsterdam mean streets, he began his football life in the famed Ajax Academy in his home city and went on to make 96 first-team appearances for them.

He combines the silky-smooth techniques learned on training pitches of Holland with the hunger of a born ball- winner.

"I like a tackle; that is true," he smiled with a twinkle in his eyes. "My role is to play in front of the back four, win the ball and give to the attacking players in the team. There is nothing special about it but it is an important role, a team role and my aim is to be part of a team that is going to be successful.

"That is the desire of everyone I have spoken to at City but I also understand clearly that success is not going to come overnight and that it might be hard going for the next couple of months or even a year as the side is built. There is clearly a plan in place here and we hope to execute it.

Intensity
"I just want to be the best player that I can be. I have heard about the intensity of the work they do at City and I have spoken to Mark Hughes about it. I like that approach because I am a training animal."

De Jong admitted he enjoyed his time in Germany but felt that the time was right for a new challenge and confessed that testing himself would not come any harder than in the Premier League. He was pleased that a deal had been signed and sealed so quickly.

"It took only a week for the whole move, the clubs had agreed a fee within two days and then it was just a matter of sorting out the personal details," he said.

"I am looking forward to playing now. I think I will be suited to the game in England. I have that Ajax foundation and schooling behind me and I am sure that I will adapt quickly to the demands of the Premier League. I took those fundamentals to Germany with me for three years to help me develop as a player and I am hoping to improve even more now."

When De Jong awoke in the team's five-star training retreat on Thursday morning there was at least one familiar face to greet him, that of former Hamburg team-mate Vincent Kompany.

"We always kept in touch when he left Hamburg for City and when the rumours started about the possibility of me moving to Manchester he telephoned me and told me about the club, about the atmosphere, the supporters and the people behind the club and once I had spoken to him it was an easy move for me," said De Jong.

"When we played in Germany I was the front of the triangle and Vincent played behind at the centre of the back four. I don't know yet how it will work here but we are both adaptable players and I am sure whatever Mark Hughes wants will be a success. Vincent is so talented that he can fit in almost anywhere.

"I played against City in pre-season and the players are not unfamiliar to me because we watch the Premier League on the television all the time."

He also has a more than decent idea about what is being planned behind the scenes by the Blues' hierarchy.

"The owners of the club explained to me what their ideas are for the next few years and it appealed to me as a really interesting adventure. I must say I was very happy at Hamburg and would not have left there for just anywhere. It had to be something special," added the midfielder.

"My instinct told me that now is the perfect time to join City which is a club poised to head for success. What I was told by the people behind the club I found extremely exciting and interesting."

Collapse
At one stage that seemed likely to include the arrival of superstar Kaka, though the collapse of those negotiations didn't faze De Jong.

"Every player in the world would like to play alongside Kaka, he is a great player, but him not coming did not make any difference to what my head was telling me and that was to come to a club that has big ambition. Kaka was not an issue for me," he insisted.

"I have talked a lot to people at City and there is a structure to what they are attempting to do and I am glad to be part of that. They have a clear idea of which players they want and in which positions and are determined to get the best that they can in each role.

"I could have waited six more months in Hamburg and waited to see what happened but I was excited by what City said to me and I want to be here at the start of everything. I want to be a part of a team but I don't think City are going to build around me - maybe you could say that to Kaka if he was here - I am just one of 11.

"Everyone knows that the Premier League is one of the best competitions, may be the best, competition in the world at this moment."

Although he has been out injured since hurting his knee whilst winning one of this 30 Dutch caps in October, De Jong is hoping to make his debut against Newcastle at Eastlands next Wednesday night.

"I am ready to go and looking forward to my first game," he insisted. "I have been in a training camp with Hamburg during the winter break and though my match fitness may not be there I want to play as soon as possible and I confident in my condition and ability. Hamburg were bringing me on slowly because they are not playing for a while yet but it is no problem.

"Dutch players I don't think have any trouble settling down in England. The climate, the way of life and the style of football is not so different to Holland or Germany."