Louis van Gaal has warned Frenkie de Jong that he will have a "difficult" time at Barcelona next season and believes that the young midfielder "could have chosen better".
De Jong will join the Spanish champions from Ajax this summer after agreeing a £65 million transfer in January.
The 22-year-old caught the eye with a series of impressive performances as he helped the Dutch side to the Eredivisie title, a KNVB Cup triumph and the semi-finals of the Champions League - beating both Real Madrid and Juventus in the process.
Despite receiving interest from many of Europe's top clubs, the midfielder decided on a switch to the Camp Nou.
However, former Barcelona and Manchester United boss Van Gaal doesn't think that it was the best choice for the Dutch international at this stage of his career.
"I think it will be difficult for him there," he told Fox Sports, via Marca .
"Not only because he'll have a different role there, but because he'll be competing with others to make the starting eleven.
"He's lucky that Barcelona were knocked out in the semi-finals [of the Champions League] because the status of the club is different and there will be different players.
"In my opinion, he could have chosen better."
Although De Jong was one of the first names on the team-sheet in Amsterdam, Van Gaal has warned that he could face a much tougher test to force his way into the Barcelona starting line-up.
"De Jong is a very good player, but so is Ivan Rakitic," added Van Gaal, who also managed Ajax. "And five years ago when I was at Manchester United, I wanted to sign Arturo Vidal.
"As a player you always have to choose a club where you can play.
"The question is, does he have this assured at Barcelona? We'll have to wait and see.
"I hope so because at that age you have to play every game."
