Thursday, November 21, 2024, 11:30
Frenkie de Jong has taken a step back in his set-up. The Dutch footballer left for the national team break with a good feeling and having played minutes for Barcelona, but the two commitments with the Netherlands have been a bucket of cold water. The former Ajax player returns to Hansi Flick’s discipline, acknowledging that he still has discomfort in his ankle and having had to miss the duel against Bosnia and Herzegovina as a precaution.
«I usually had the feeling of getting back to my level pretty quickly after an injury. That’s different now, I have more sequels. It’s still sensitive at certain times, but I also need to regain confidence that I can do certain things. That can only be achieved by playing games, I hope the pain disappears on its own,” said Frenkie de Jong last Saturday after the Netherlands’ comfortable victory against Hungary. The culé midfielder played 68 minutes and left with the game resolved, but it was not enough for him to make a good balance.
And De Jong became frustrated with what is being a slower recovery than he expected. The injury is no longer there, but now there are the consequences and the adaptation to top-level football after an accident that kept him away from the playing fields for almost half a year. This is where the former Ajax player must arm himself with patience and little by little gain the physical shape that allows him to be a regular footballer at Barça and then in an Oranje that awaits him like May water, as Koeman recognized after leaving him. out of competition against Bosnia as a precaution. “It is better that he abandons the concentration for medical reasons,” warned the coach.
There is no rush
With that analysis still recent, De Jong returns to Barcelona with the need to recover his sensations. These “medical reasons” do not prevent him from joining the group led by Hansi Flick and training normally, but they will make the German take his inclusion in the eleven with more caution and not want to burn stages. In favor of this approach is also the fact that Flick can now count on a large roster of players who can play in the Dutchman’s position. Marc Casadó has become a basic piece, Pedri has shown that he can play in the midfield and Fermín and Gavi are becoming more and more popular.
