Uncertainty continues to surround Frenkie de Jong and his recovery from his right ankle problems. The footballer was injured on April 21 in the Clásico against Real Madrid after suffering a severe grade two sprain in this area of his body, and since then he has been in the FC Barcelona infirmary working on his return to the pitch. Despite the fact that it was hoped that he would be ready for the preseason, and the player even tried to force himself to play the Euro Cup with the Netherlands, as it is his third injury of the same type, the situation has worsened more than expected.
For this reason, Can Barça has set a period of 15 days to see how the Dutchman evolves and if he is ready to play again. If the midfielder does not feel ready, they will recommend that he undergo surgery to surgically end his discomfort and that, at least, he can help the team in the second half of the season. Flick has made it clear that he will not rush the midfielder's return to the first team, as his priority is for the player to be in top form when he returns to training and avoid a future relapse.
Ronald Koeman, the Netherlands national coach and former coach of the Blaugrana team, has spoken out about this situation. The Dutchman expressed his concern about Frenkie's physical condition to the national press, according to the newspaper 'BD.nl', and commented that "the situation of the Barça midfielder is worrying, because he has been out for a long time. I understand that things are getting better and better, but he is not yet fully recovered."
In addition, he added that as this is the third time he has suffered an ankle problem, his recovery will take longer due to the damage caused in this area of his body. "He has suffered a bothersome ankle injury three times in a row. There is damage and it takes time to recover. That takes a long time, but we hope he recovers completely. That is also good for us," he said, leaving a not very encouraging forecast about the midfielder's case.
The deadline that Barça sets for Frenkie
Despite this, the Spotify Camp Nou are a little more optimistic about De Jong's return to the culé discipline. His relapse indicates that there is some underlying damage to his ankle, which is taking longer than expected to heal, but the signs of improvement in Frenkie's condition have led them to believe that the footballer will be available to Flick after the international break in September. Although there are no certainties in this regard, the Blaugranas remain positive and hope to have the 'reinforcement' of the Gorcum player from the second week of the month that has just begun.