Barcelona, Aug 25 (IANS) Defending La Liga champion FC Barcelona will have to wait a bit longer over the availability of their Dutch star Frenkie de Jong, who is working on his recovery from a knee injury.
Though De Jong has recovered a bit, a return to competitive action still looks to be some distance away.
The Barcelona midfielder has returned to light training to test out how his knee is doing, but according to a report in Diario Sport, he is still feeling discomfort and therefore will need more time to get to full fitness.
On Monday, de Jong did some “solo runs and very controlled exercises” under the guidance of the medical staff but still felt pain during the session, the report said.
The report in Diario Sport said the midfielder opted to undergo conservative treatment for his knee injury, rather than undergo surgery. Now, it looks like there is still some way to go before he’s ready to return to training with his teammates.
Dutch star de Jong suffered the injury at the 2026 World Cup and had reportedly got the green light to play through the pain barrier. The full extent of the problem was only diagnosed when he underwent tests after returning to Barcelona.
According to the report, there is no indication from Barcelona about when de Jong is expected to return, though the club expects him to be out for several months with the problem.
–IANS
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