Frenkie de Jong has been in the middle of more than a few controversies at Barcelona.
In the summer of 2022, there was a protracted transfer saga in which reports heavily suggested that Barcelona had been trying to push the player out, but that he had no desire to leave. And indeed resisted a move.
“They were pushing me to leave the club and, at one point, I was very angry and didn’t want to talk anymore,” De Jong said earlier this year.
Wrapped up in the saga was the issue of deferred wages that Barcelona owed him, reportedly around €17m at the time.
This week, the player was on the news again, hitting back at apparent claims about his commitment and fitness after suffering a serious knee injury at the World Cup with the Netherlands.
De Jong used an interview with Barcelona’s media channels on Friday to deny reports that he refused to play in last season’s Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid. He also defended his handling the knee problem he sustained this summer.
“That’s false, it’s simply not true,” De Jong said. “My dream is to play for Barca and, above all, in the big Champions League matches. Everyone wants to play in those matches. I don’t understand how anyone could say that I refused.
“I see things like that and I get angry and irritated. If people get angry and if that’s the only information they have, I understand them. That’s why I’m explaining it.”
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De Jong signed a new contract last October, extending his potential stay at Barcelona until 2029. This came after he became a central figure under Hansi Flick during the club’s last two title-winning campaigns, playing at the base of midfield alongside Pedri.
The midfielder then joined the Netherlands for the World Cup this summer but sustained a knee injury during a training session. To feature at the tournament anyway, he played through pain, which worsened his condition.
According to the player, he played because had been led to think it was only a minor issue.
“Everyone knew about it,” De Jong said. “They said I could continue playing. I also asked about it and they assured me that it couldn’t get worse.”
When he returned to Barcelona injured, tests revealed a tear to the medial collateral ligament in his right knee. The club believed surgery would offer the quickest route back to fitness, but De Jong chose not to have one and is following a conservative recovery programme.
“Right now I’m doing work with the physical therapists,” the midfielder said. “We’ve made a plan which everyone knows about and everyone agrees with.”
The injury has created much frustration inside Barcelona. The club are unhappy with how the issue developed during the World Cup, and there are doubts over how quickly the current treatment plan will return De Jong to action.
The club’s expectation is that he could return around November, depending on his progress.
De Jong has been on and off the pitch for Barcelona due to injury issues. A hamstring injury in February ruled him out of the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid and restricted him to a brief appearance in the second leg. Barcelona exited the competition.
A prolonged absence could further affect the club this season, although Barcelona are now trying to get ahead of that by signing Manchester City’s Rodri. The arrival of the Ballon d’Or winner would at least relieve the tension felt in De Jong’s absence.
