The fullback needed to rediscover himself after a chastening spell at Camp Nou, and he's done just that in the Eredivisie
Sergino Dest entered this season humbled. Barcelona had decided they didn't want him, and after being loaned to AC Milan, the Italian giants decided they had no use for him either. Once one of Europe's most promising fullbacks, Dest had been knocked down a peg or two. He needed to reassess. And so he moved back to the Netherlands, his country of birth. A loan move to PSV was agreed, and the hope was that a return to the Eredivisie would help Dest rediscover part of what made him such a dynamic young star with Ajax. Still just 23, there remains a really good player there waiting to be unleashed; it just turned out that Barcelona and Milan weren't able to provide the right environments to help get that player out.
PSV, on the other hand, has proven to be the ideal spot for Dest. His time back in the Eredivisie has worked wonders, with Dest playing at a high level on both sides of the defense. He may have take a step back, but it is one that has allowed him to reconnect with the player who burst onto the scene just a few years ago.The move to PSV hasn't ended Dest's Champions League dreams, either.
Having already escaped a tough group that featured Arsenal, Lens and Sevilla, PSV won't just be happy to have come this far. No, for both Dest and PSV, this is a chance to make a statement and a chance to prove they belong at the highest level Europe has to offer.