Hansi Flick wanted Frenkie de Jong in his Barça. Among so much youth, he saw the 27-year-old midfielder as essential. At the outset, without yet knowing either Casadó or Bernal, the coach imagined an eleven in his head with the Dutchman playing alongside Pedri or Gavi when the latter returned. It happens that he also had to start building his project without the Dutchman. De Jong was injured and did not return until October 1. He was recovering from a sprained right ankle that he suffered on April 22 in the Santiago Bernabéu classic in a clash with Fede Valverde. Recovery was very slow. With chiaroscuro and a multitude of versions. De Jong spent five months without playing. He even missed the European Championship in the 162 days he spent away from the green. And, today, it is still far from its best version.
Read also
This season there have been nine games that Barça has played without De Jong in all competitions. The midfielder, who is living his sixth season with Barça, returned on October 1 in the Champions League match against Young Boys playing 18 minutes. Since then he has participated in 12 more games between the League and the Champions League. He has only been a starter twice. His rhythm does not seem to match that of his teammates. His ankle seems to transmit fear in every duel. He hides his foot in many disputes. And he makes atypical errors such as the penalty he caused against Vitor Roque at the Benito Villamarín or the passivity he showed in one of the goals in the draw against Celta (2-2) at Balaídos.
Flick’s patience is running out. But he still hasn’t thrown in the towel with the Dutchman. “He knows exactly what he should do. “I hope we can help him regain the rhythm he had before the injury,” he said yesterday with some resignation.
He knows perfectly well what he should do. “I hope we can help him regain the rhythm he had before the injury.”
Hansi Flick
The injury he is talking about is the famous sprained ankle that has had several episodes. “Frenkie has a history with this injury. “His club decided to take risks and this is the price we now have to pay for it,” said coach Ronald Koeman in the summer when he confirmed that he could not count on De Jong for the European Championship. The background to which Koeman was referring happened last year. De Jong suffered up to three injuries in that same area. The first came against Celta in September and the second in San Mamés at the beginning of March. “The second time, perhaps, I started playing too early and the injury was still in my head,” acknowledged De Jong, who, in his opinion, accelerated his recovery to reach the Champions League quarterfinal tie against PSG and the El Clasico. Bernabéu.
After missing the Euro Cup, the player ruled out surgery and followed conservative treatment
The club insists that at no time did they want to force the player. “You just have to look at the time he spent recovering,” they remember. They refer to the 96 days with their 21 games in which De Jong was not available.
With the Euro Cup frustrated in June, Barça’s medical services advised him to go to the sports city to examine him and develop a specific plan. De Jong chatted. But he did not come, citing that he needed to disconnect with his family. When the course started, he still wasn’t feeling well. He even asked for external opinions who, like the club, recommended surgery. But he ruled it out.
De Jong talking to Flick
Marcelo del Pozo / Reuters
On November 6 in Belgrade against Red Star he was scared again by a blow to his ankle in his first start. His entourage maintains that physically the footballer is not at 100%. That takes time and trust. Flick gave him more time. And he has even tried him in the midfield, a position in which De Jong scored a goal against Mallorca. But in Dortmund in the Champions League he showed the same insecurity again.
Barcelona fans are divided with their third captain. De Jong received boos at Gamper and against Brest. The feeling is growing in the board that De Jong thinks too much of him.
The footballer’s entourage points out that he needs time and confidence to recover his physical tone
The footballer has not felt cared for either. Three summers ago he regretted that the board forced his departure to free up the salary bill. Even the club’s legal advisors studied whether the agreement reached by De Jong with former president Bartomeu constituted a crime. He extended his contract until 2026, deferring his salary, which is now one of the highest in the squad. The sports management assumes that De Jong can hold his own. And that a sale will depend exclusively on him.
