"I think everything will be fine" - Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong provides fitness update following return from lengthy injury spell
Frenkie de Jong has provided a fitness update after he picked up a knock during Barcelona’s LaLiga clash with Real Sociedad on Sunday, November 10. The midfielder put a rest to the speculations, claiming the knock wasn't serious and he would soon be fully fit.
De Jong returned to action for Barcelona in October after being sidelined for nearly five months due to an ankle injury. He started Barcelona's league clash against Real Sociedad, but was forced off at halftime due to a knock.
According to Diario Sport, De Jong was in tears in the dressing room, fearing yet another long-term layoff. Thankfully for the midfielder, he had only suffered a blow to his shin. He has since joined the Netherlands senior squad for their upcoming UEFA Nations League games with Hungary and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Speaking to the media while representing the Netherlands national team, he expressed his excitement about returning to the squad after an absence of more than a year. When asked about his injury, he replied (via Mundo Deportivo):
"I'm fine, I have some pain but I think everything will be fine. I'm very happy and I'm looking forward to the future. It's been a long time since I played for the Dutch national team. It's a great honour and I'll always be happy to be here. I'm happy to be back. Hopefully we can do great things, but I think we have to prove it first."
He also reflected on his initial injury that ruled him out of Euro 2024 and his journey to full fitness.
"It was difficult, it was a very painful injury. It was a tough ankle injury. I missed a lot of games and the most important thing was the Euros of course, so it was very difficult. I started playing again. I'm getting back to 100% where I should be in terms of form and fitness, so at the moment I feel good," De Jong added.
De Jong joined Barcelona from Ajax in 2019. So far, he has scored 17 goals and provided 21 assists for La Blaugrana in 220 appearances across competitions.
Ronald Koeman provides update on Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong ahead of the Netherlands' Nations League matches
Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman also provided an update on the availability of Frenkie de Jong for the Oranje. Koeman said the Barcelona midfielder could feature against Hungary on Saturday, November 16. He also revealed that De Jong would train alone briefly due to his injury.
De Jong last played for the Netherlands in 2023 in a European Championship qualifier against Ireland. Ahead of their upcoming Nations League fixtures, Ronald Koeman said (via Tribal Football):
“He will be able to play on Saturday although he will have to train individually some days due to the blow he received. He had been out for a long time and has yet to play a full game. He is not yet in his best moment although for us it was important that he returned to the group.
“I immediately contacted Barca because I feared it was something about the ankle, but they made it clear that it was not like that. It was the shin, he received a painful blow but it was not a big problem so he has traveled to help us.”