Frenkie de Jong, the chronology of an 'ordeal' that keeps FC Barcelona in suspense

On September 21, it will be five months since Frenkie de Jong was forced to leave the Santiago Bernabéu pitch on a stretcher after a clash with Fede Valverde. That blow was the third sprain to the Dutchman's right ankle in the same season, although few imagined that it would be much more serious than the previous two. Nearly 150 days later, the player's ankle has still not recovered, and the light at the end of the tunnel is still visible in the distance.

In one of his last public appearances, when he announced that he was withdrawing from the Netherlands squad for Euro 2024, the player said that "I am sad, my ankle needs more time." Since then, his physical setback has only become a real mystery. At Can Barça, beyond some comments from Hansi Flick or Joan Laporta, they have not issued any further medical statement, while the player remains silent.

The only one who has raised his voice is Ronald Koeman, the coach of the 'Oranje', who harshly charged against the Barça club for the management of the midfielder's physical problems. "He played important games when he was not fit to play. Maybe he was fit to play 'something', but he was not in the rhythm of matches or training to play the games against PSG," argued the former Barça coach to the press.

Frenkie forced himself to play the tie against the Parisians (75 minutes at the Parc des Princes; 82 at Montjuïc) and five days later he left the Bernabéu on a stretcher. Barça began their preseason, leaving in the middle for the United States for the tour, and the player remained at home because his ankle remained unstable. The club's doctors considered a surgical intervention pertinent to nip the problem in the bud, but the midfielder, advised by specialists he consulted, saw a conservative treatment as better.

The chronology of his ordeal

This treatment has been adopted since his first ankle problem, which took place on September 23 against Celta in Montjuïc. De Jong would miss 10 games (seven in the League and three in the Champions League) and would return at the end of November. However, nothing would be the same. On March 3, at San Mamés, the player 'broke' his ankle again, and the prognosis was less kind than with his first sprain. Despite this, the '21' rushed the deadlines and was barely out for four games to be able to be present against Paris Saint-Germain.

He returned earlier than expected, played two and a half games (PSG in Paris and at Montjuïc along with the 45 minutes at the Bernabéu before the clash with Valverde) and since then he has disappeared. Three injuries to the same ankle, the refusal to undergo surgery and Koeman setting off the 'alarms'. "It's worrying because it's a long time. I understand that things are improving. But he's not fit yet. He's had a serious ankle injury three times in a row and there's damage there. That's why he needs time to recover. This will take a long time, but let's hope he recovers fully, because that's good for us too," he said.

Flick hopes to have him back under his orders soon

Meanwhile, Hansi Flick hopes to have him back under his orders after the end of the international break, even if it's just to take part in training with the group. The Blaugrana will evaluate his situation once all the internationals have returned, and if they don't see any significant progress in his recovery, they will propose that he abandon conservative treatment to undergo a postponed surgical intervention. The next few days will be key for Frenkie and his future.