Not good enough or unlucky? USMNT star Sergino Dest explains why he may have been written off too soon at Barcelona

The Netherlands-born United States international completed a big-money transfer to Camp Nou in October 2020, having burst onto a senior stage at Ajax. He was still in his teens when heading for Catalunya and was considered to be hot prospect for the future. But Dest was given little time in which to prove his worth to the Blaugrana.

Dest has taken in 72 appearances for Barca, but not all of those outings were from the start and he quickly slipped down the right-back pecking order with La Liga giants. He was loaned out to Serie A heavyweights AC Milan in 2022-23, before returning to his homeland last summer to link up with PSV.

Dest has told the Men In Blazers podcast of his experience at Barca and why he feels a little hard done by: “At the beginning, obviously you have to adapt. You are 19 years old, it is the first time that you live alone in another country, you are not with your parents anymore and are becoming an adult. That needs some time. I felt like I started off very well when I came to Barcelona. I had some good games. Obviously the consistency wasn’t always there, but that also needed time. I was still young and needed some time. It was a really special moment to play at Camp Nou and show my skills.”

The USMNT defender has a contract at Barcelona through to 2025, but there appears to be little chance of him seeing that deal out. A permanent switch to PSV has been speculated on, while his performances for the Eredivisie outfit in 2023-24 may attract more suitors to the table ahead of the next transfer window.