Overview
- Barcelona announced that tests showed a tear to Frenkie de Jong’s right medial collateral ligament and that he will follow a monitored, non-surgical rehabilitation programme under the club’s doctors.
- De Jong posted that he played through knee pain at the World Cup, said follow-up scans in Barcelona showed the problem was more serious than first thought, and confirmed there is no need for surgery at this stage.
- Spanish reports say club officials are highly critical of the Netherlands’ medical and coaching setup for clearing him to continue at the tournament and believe that contributed to the worsening of the injury.
- Multiple outlets report that a breakdown in trust has developed between De Jong and head coach Hansi Flick after a late-season refusal to play, creating fresh uncertainty over the midfielder’s role at Barcelona.
- Barcelona are weighing formal long-term injury registration to free De Jong’s salary for summer registrations, will keep him out of full group training and the England camp, and may give greater minutes to youngsters such as Marc Bernal while his return date is finalised.