FC Barcelona has got off to a brighter start in the new 2024/25 season, with the club currently at the top of the La Liga table with 12 points. Managing four consecutive wins so far, the Blaugrana club has been impressive overall. However, while every aspect seems to be kicking in the new Flick era, injury concerns are a major issue ongoing at the club.
Uncertainties loom over the return date of FC Barcelona's star midfielder
Barca currently has one of the thinnest squad depths ever, with only a few midfield pivot options available. While Pedri and Marc Casado are the frontline starters in the role, the club direly needs a specialist alongside Eric Garcia, who can play in the role, but it isn't his conventional job. Although reports had surfaced suggesting star midfielder De Jong's return, in reality, his return still feels uncertain.
Not to forget, the Dutch star had faced an ankle injury in the 2023/24 campaign's second ElClasico and had to be forced off the field. Although there has been a lot of improvement in the midfielder's recovery, De Jong's ankle has become chronically unstable, making it very weak and prone to injuries.
Moreover, even though surgical procedures look like the best solution and the club has been recommending de Jong for the same, the player prefers conservative treatment. Although in the short term, it may seem beneficial for the club to have De Jong back, De Jong would be constantly prone to injuries, and any blow might further shatter Barca's hopes of his availability.
According to recent reports from Barca insider Adrian Sanchez, Frenkie de Jong has made his decision to not undergo surgery and has no return date. Currently, there is nothing clear in De Jong's return, as both of these possibilities can become a reality: either he comes and starts kicking at his top level or faces discomfort and is forced to opt for surgical methods.
From FC Barcelona's perspective, it is a dilemmatic situation, as even though the club needs him, they don't want to further delay his return through a probable injury again. Reports suggest that the Blaugrana club doctors, having similar concerns, had advised him to undergo surgery, but the midfielder opted to test out first how he feels on a return in the training sessions.
With the current scenario, De Jong looks set to return to the training sessions in the upcoming weeks; however, his game minutes will depend upon how he feels about training. Thus, while much can't be said surely regarding De Jong's return, Barca fans would hope to have the box-to-box midfielder as soon as possible.