Midfielder still feeling pain during solo session rehabilitation

Frenkie de Jong is working on his recovery from a knee injury, but a return to competitive action for Barcelona still appears to be some considerable distance away following a worrying setback in training.

The Dutch midfielder was back out on the pitch to test how his knee is responding, yet he is still feeling discomfort, according to Diario Sport. De Jong carried out only "solo runs and very controlled exercises" under the guidance of the club's medical staff, but continued to experience pain during the session.

It means the Blaugrana are still without a clear timeline for his return, with no official indication from the club over when he might be expected back in the side.

Conservative treatment chosen over surgery

The midfielder opted to undergo conservative treatment on his knee problem rather than go under the knife, and it sounds as though there is still some way to go before he is ready to rejoin Barcelona training with his team-mates.

De Jong suffered the injury at the 2026 World Cup and has said he was given the green light to play through the pain barrier at the time. The full extent of the issue was only properly diagnosed once he underwent tests after returning to the Catalan club.

Barcelona have offered no indication yet as to when De Jong might be expected back, although reports have claimed that it is anticipated he will be out for several months with the problem.