Barcelona have been dealt a major blow before the new season after medical tests confirmed that Frenkie de Jong suffered a tear to the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
The midfielder sustained the injury while representing the Netherlands at the World Cup but continued to play after the problem was initially assessed as minor.
Barcelona have not publicly accused Ronald Koeman or the Dutch medical team of wrongdoing. However, the club are reportedly deeply unhappy with how the injury was handled and believe they were not given a complete picture of De Jong’s condition.
World Cup gamble leaves Barcelona furious
According to Javier Miguel’s report for Diario AS, Barcelona believe De Jong played while injured during the Netherlands’ World Cup elimination against Morocco.
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The midfielder remained on the pitch for 110 minutes before the Dutch were beaten in a penalty shootout. AS also reported that De Jong received an injection before the match to make him available and that Barcelona were not informed of the full extent of the problem.
The report claims figures inside the club have criticised Koeman, the Netherlands’ medical staff and De Jong himself for allowing him to continue.
Barcelona accept that players sometimes compete through discomfort at major tournaments. Their anger reportedly stems from the belief that this particular risk was not properly controlled and could leave them without a key midfielder for a significant part of the coming season.
De Jong reveals what doctors told him
De Jong has since responded to suggestions that he placed his country ahead of his club.
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“During the World Cup, I injured my knee. After the first assessments, the doctors told me it was a small injury and that it wouldn’t get worse if I continued playing,” De Jong said, as quoted by ESPN in its report on the injury.
“The only challenge was playing with some pain, but throughout my career I have done that whenever I could contribute to the team, both for my club and my country.”
Further examinations carried out in Barcelona later showed that the damage was more serious than first believed. De Jong said surgery was not required at this stage and rejected claims that his decision to play demonstrated a lack of commitment to Barcelona.
Medical tests confirm the crushing blow
In Barcelona’s official medical update, the club confirmed a tear to the medial collateral ligament in De Jong’s right knee.
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The midfielder will undergo conservative treatment under the supervision of Barcelona’s medical staff, with his recovery assessed over the coming weeks.
Crucially, the club did not describe the ligament as completely torn and did not provide an expected return date. That means reports suggesting De Jong will definitely miss five or six months, or remain out until 2027, should currently be treated as estimates rather than confirmed information.
Flick faces a major midfield headache
The injury leaves Hansi Flick preparing for the new campaign without one of his most experienced midfielders.
De Jong started all four of the Netherlands’ World Cup matches, having only recently returned from the physical problems that disrupted the latter part of his club season.
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Barcelona still have Pedri, Gavi, Marc Bernal and Marc Casadó among their midfield options. However, De Jong’s ability to receive the ball under pressure and dictate possession makes him difficult to replace directly.
The episode also threatens to reopen the long-running tension between clubs and national teams over injured players. In this case, the fallout is particularly striking because Koeman previously criticised Barcelona for taking risks with De Jong’s fitness before Euro 2024.
This time, the accusations are travelling in the opposite direction, and Barcelona may be left paying the sporting price.
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