What would the unavailability of De Jong mean for FC Barcelona?

Barca's recent few days have been extremely eventful; be it in favor or matters going out of hand, the club has witnessed many enthralling events. From Barca's ongoing pursuit of Nico and Dani Olmo to Ansu Fati getting sidelined before the Preseason and Flick's official presentation at the club, FC Barcelona and its players have been the talk of the footballing world.

What would the unavailability of De Jong mean for FC Barcelona?

Adding to that long catalog is another report indicating updates on star midfielder Frenkie De Jong's injury. According to sources, De Jong's injury still seems worrying. Though it was confirmed he wouldn't feature in the US preseason, recent updates doubt the player's availability for the initial La Liga fixtures. Thus comes the question: what would De Jong's unavailability mean for FC Barcelona?

Since his debut for the Catalan club in the 2019/20 season, the Dutch midfielder has been a key mainstay for the FC Barcelona lineup. Lining up for Barca in 213 games, the midfielder has managed 38 goal contributions, along with handling the game in the middle of the park. Currently, at Barca, he is arguably their highest-rated midfielder, and thus, finding a suitable replacement won't be easy for the club.

Even though rumors had arisen that Barca might look for Mikel Merino in the transfer window, his deal is in the earliest steps. Moreover, even if they want to pursue Merino, Barca won't have funds, considering they have significant interests in Dani Olmo's and Nico Williams's deal.

Even though Pedri might return ahead of La Liga, the fortune of Barca's midfield isn't looking well. As a possible solution, Flick might utilize academy talents like Bernal, Casado, and Darvich to have significant stakes in the Barcelona camp. Especially for Darvich, Flick has had very good sensations about the attacking midfielder in the initial training sessions. Not only that, he might feature in the US Preseason tour.

Understandably, Flick wants De Jong to return as soon as possible. In his official presentation, he expressed his desire to have him back soon. Flick said,

""Frenkie is a fantastic player. He has proven this when he was physically fit. He's recovering now, and let's hope he comes back soon.""

- Hansi Flick

Thus, Barca hopes the box-to-box midfielder returns to the football arena as soon as possible to help Barca make an incredible debut campaign under Hansi Flick.