Frenkie de Jong Back in Full Barcelona Training as Midfield Logjam Threatens His Place
Frenkie de Jong is back in full training with Barcelona and hoping to make his comeback shortly from the knee injury that has kept him out of action for the entire season so far, but the Dutch midfielder returns to a very different team than the one he left.
The midfielder has not featured at all for Hansi Flick's side this season, and his absence has barely been felt. Barcelona enjoyed a perfect start to the campaign without him, winning all eight matches before the international break while scoring goals at will.
No Shortage of Competition
A big part of that has been the summer arrival of Rodri from Manchester City, a signing that means De Jong has not really been missed during his time on the sidelines. The Spanish midfielder's move to the Blaugrana followed a closely fought transfer saga, with Rodri later confirming (reported 24 September) that Real Madrid had “gone all out” to sign him before he chose Flick's project instead.
Even with Rodri in the fold, Flick still has a deep stable of options in the middle. Pedri, Gavi, Marc Bernal, Dani Olmo, Fermín López and young Brian Fariñas are all part of the first-team squad, leaving De Jong facing a genuine fight for minutes when he is fully fit.
The squeeze on places has even sparked online debate about whether the Dutchman still has a future at the club. A recent poll on Catalunya Radio's Onze show saw ‘no’ win by 80% when fans were asked whether De Jong still has a place at Barcelona.
A Familiar Situation
Rumors that Barcelona could look to sell De Jong have already resurfaced, though the report suggests such talk is unlikely to bother the midfielder, who has had to put up with similar speculation throughout his Barcelona career.
The timeline for his return has been building for weeks. Back on 10 September, Flick revealed that De Jong was progressing well in his recovery and could make his comeback after the international break, with the player and the club's medical team having opted for a conservative approach to managing the knee problem.
The question now is where De Jong actually fits once he is fully fit again. Can he fight his way back and become a regular under Flick once more, or will he have to settle for a bench role behind a midfield that has flourished without him?
It is a dilemma with no easy answer — and one Barcelona supporters are clearly split on.