Is Frenkie De Jong nearing a return for FC Barcelona?

While it has been quite an impressive start for FC Barcelona this season, a major issue that might hinder the club's potential has been their injury woes. This early in the season, FC Barcelona faced two injuries more in addition to the sidelined players, De Jong, Araujo, and Gavi. With Marc Bernal catching up an ACL injury and Fermin Lopez out for around three weeks, the club direly needs midfield options.

Is Frenkie De Jong nearing a return for FC Barcelona?

However, recently, much talk has been going around the return of their star midfielder, who could end the club's issues. As per sources close to the club, Frenkie de Jong is expected to return in late September after the international break. However, the Blaugrana club is still cautious, given the time he has been in injury. Thus, the question arises: Is Frenkie De Jong nearing a return for FC Barcelona?

After their young prodigy Marc Bernal picked up a season-ending injury in the fixture against Vallecano, reports regarding De Jong's return have resurfaced. In fact, reports from Mundo Deportivo indicated that Hansi Flick has chosen to play a pivot duo of Casadó and De Jong after Bernal's injury further in the season.

But, still, speaking the harsh truth, De Jong feels far from a return. As per sources, the Dutch midfielder has chronic instability in his ankle, and even though he's working hard to strengthen the area, his full recovery is likely to require surgery. Currently, de Jong refuses to have ankle surgery, opting for the conventional treatment. However, if he can't return fully fit after the international break, he will most likely have to agree to surgery.

Currently, FC Barcelona finds itself in a dilemma; while they are much convinced that de Jong's complete recovery would need a surgical approach, the club wants him to be available due to low squad depth. The Blaugrana club has only four midfield options available, and thus, Hansi Flick hopes the player does not get surgery, as that would mean a longer recovery time.

Overall, the Blaugrana club is facing a massive injury crisis, with stars like Marc Bernal and Fermin injured and Gavi far from returning. Even though there feels a bit of hope that De Jong might return sooner, chances are considerably less in the club's favor. In such a scenario, the club hopes to have the star midfielders available as early as possible to strengthen their title chances this season.