DE JONG DOES NOT HAVE A RETURN DATE YET
Frenkie de Jong continues his particular fall to hell
Published:15/08/2024 - 18:26h
Updated:15/08/2024 - 18:26h
Frenkie de Jong's return to the playing field remains a mystery. Four months after suffering a sprain in his right ankle, the player still has no return date and Flick does not count on him for the next games
Frenkie de Jong's situation is beginning to be a 'headache' for FC Barcelona. The footballer remains in dry dock since his injury in the Clásico on April 21, and no next solution has been announced. The midfielder tried to force himself to play in the Euro Cup with his national team, but without success, and later returned from vacation out of shape and with his right ankle swollen. In addition, he continues to 'pass' the club's attempts to adjust his contract to the economic situation of the entity, being the player with the highest salary in the squad.
At Can Barça there is no answer regarding the possible date of the Dutchman's return to the playing fields. The midfielder is about to complete four months out due to a grade two sprain of his right ankle and would double the initial prognosis of the club's doctors, who had set his recovery between six to eight weeks. However, as it was his third consecutive injury to the same ankle, his situation would have been more complicated than expected.
According to the newspaper 'AS', sources within the club acknowledge their confusion at De Jong's attitude, who seems to be going at a different pace than the rest of his teammates. Pedri, for example, has recovered in record time from a grade two sprain in his left knee, returning to training last Wednesday, August 14, and pointing his return to Hansi Flick's call-up for the second day of LaLiga. Meanwhile, the German assumes that he will not be able to count on the Dutchman, at best, until after the international break in September.
His contract, a bigger problem
Beyond all this, the big setback that Frenkie would be causing for the entity would be linked to his contractual situation. The footballer has the highest salary in the squad and in LaLiga, earning 35 million euros gross by having to cover the postponements due to the pandemic, which is why Deco, the club's sporting director, has tried to hold conversations with his agent to seek a salary restructuring that allows freeing up space in the financial fair play, offering a downward renewal.
Despite this, all the club's contacts with the footballer's entourage have been fruitless, a circumstance that has aroused suspicion about the midfielder. From the offices of the Spotify Camp Nou they would believe that the footballer is looking to end his contract, which expires on June 30, 2026, to leave Barcelona with the letter of freedom under his arm. Flick considers him important in his scheme and hopes to recover the best version of De Jong, and if he achieves this, his presence in the entity could change. Otherwise, the culés have a 'big' problem on their hands.
