De Jong looks to home comforts

Nigel de Jong was a frustrated onlooker at the Arena Hamburg as Manchester City FC failed to capitalise on a dream start to their UEFA Cup quarter-final tie at his former team Hamburger SV, though he insists all is not lost after a 3-1 defeat.

De Jong spent three years with the Hanseaten before moving to City for a reported €19.5m in January, departing Germany with the promise that he “would always keep the [HSV] diamond in my heart”. That did not stop the defensive midfielder, who is ineligible for UEFA Cup duty with City having played in Hamburg’s first-round win against Romanian side AFC Unirea Urziceni, sharing insight about his former team-mates with his new ones after the fates conspired to pair the teams.

“Hamburg are having a good season and I’m happy for them,” he said. “But I’m hoping I will go through with my team, and that’s Manchester City.