Frenkie de Jong faces crucial check before Barcelona’s demanding October schedule

Frenkie de Jong’s return to Barcelona will not be considered in the short term, with the midfielder’s recovery from a right-knee injury expected to continue into October and his availability for El Clasico still uncertain.

The 29-year-old is making progress, but his rehabilitation must continue without further pain or a setback before he can be cleared to return to full training. Barcelona are due to assess his condition after the next international break, which begins on 21 September and ends when league action resumes on 10 or 11 October.

According to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, De Jong suffered a tear to the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during the World Cup. Barcelona officially announced the diagnosis on 23 July, although information received by Hansi Flick’s coaching staff indicated that the injury had occurred during one of the Netherlands’ training sessions, around 16 June.

The problem was not identified immediately because De Jong was reportedly given an incorrect diagnosis by the Netherlands medical team. As a result, he continued playing. After the Netherlands’ World Cup involvement ended on 30 June, he did not report for Barcelona training and instead spent two weeks on holiday in Ibiza.

Barcelona therefore did not establish the full seriousness of the injury until some time later. The club’s first accurate diagnosis was made on 13 July.

De Jong chose conservative treatment rather than surgery, despite opposition from Barcelona’s medical department, which believed an operation would provide the best solution. The club ultimately respected the midfielder’s decision, with both parties agreeing to monitor his progress according to his symptoms and response to treatment.

The approaching international break is expected to give De Jong one final opportunity to advance that treatment programme without the pressure of club fixtures. He hopes to be ready to join the main Barcelona group on 8 October, when his international team-mates are scheduled to return to training.

That target remains dependent on how the ligament feels and whether he can avoid further discomfort in the injured knee. De Jong will also need to build up a minimum level of match fitness before he can resume competitive football.

Barcelona face a demanding sequence of fixtures after the break. Their opponents are Getafe, Galatasaray, Real Betis, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, with the meeting against Real Madrid in El Clasico scheduled for 25 October.

The quality of that opposition means Barcelona will want their players returning in the best possible physical condition. Flick will therefore have an important part to play in deciding how and when De Jong is reintroduced, should he make sufficient progress.

At present, the Netherlands midfielder is completing continuous running drills in a straight line on the pitch. He has not yet begun ball work or taken part in exercises involving contact or opposition from other players, meaning several stages of his conservative rehabilitation programme are still to come.