Barcelona midfield superstar still not fully fit, will not start pre-season with group

After a tumultuous few days that saw players like Pedri and Ronald Araujo picking up injuries, Barcelona fans were boosted by some good news recently.

Frenkie de Jong, who was suffering from an ankle injury this summer, appears to have fully recovered. This event boosted hopes of his involvement in Barcelona’s upcoming pre-season campaign, which starts July 11.

De Jong won’t start pre-season with the group

However, Santi Ovalle has recently issued a report on de Jong’s fitness, offering a rather mixed update.

Contrary to expectations, it appears de Jong won’t be able to start the pre-season with the group as he is still not fully fit.

This is a disappointing development for Barcelona fans, who were hopeful of seeing the Dutchman in action under Hansi Flick this pre-season.

But on a positive note, de Jong has made solid ground on his recovery and one would expect him to return to individual training, thus marking a crucial step on his return to the pitch.

What this means for Barcelona

De Jong not being able to start the pre-season with the group might not make much of an impact on Barcelona’s pre-season preparations.

In fact, this could serve as a boon for many young midfielders including Marc Casado, who is hoping to make an impact in pre-season after signing a contract extension.

However, Flick would hope to have de Jong back at his disposal sooner rather than later, as the Dutch international could play a vital role in his double-pivot midfield system next season.

The former Ajax starlet still has a month to recover from his injury, but the player would ideally like to return to team training before Barcelona’s planned trip to the United States later this month.

For now, de Jong will be cheering on the Netherlands as they take on England in the semifinal of Euro 2024 tomorrow evening.