A state of deep frustration prevails within FC Barcelona due to the developments in the situation of Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who continues to suffer from physical problems without recovering. Despite the impressions and indicators being unfavorable, he continues to refuse the option of undergoing surgery, a decision that the Catalan club's management does not agree with.
Sources within FC Barcelona confirm, according to the Spanish newspaper "Sport" , that the situation has reached a stage where conservative treatment is no longer yielding the expected results. More than six weeks have passed since De Jong ended his World Cup participation on June 30 last, yet the player has not yet taken the step of undergoing surgery, despite his condition not progressing satisfactorily.
The Catalan club's anger dates back to an earlier period, as there is an impression among Barcelona's management that the handling of De Jong's physical condition since late last winter was conditioned by his strong desire to be ready for the World Cup competitions.
The player had played his last full match for Barcelona on February 22 last, with his subsequent absence spanning nine consecutive matches. He later participated in six other encounters without regaining his place as a starter, ending the season by resting in the last two La Liga matches before joining the Netherlands national team.
Barcelona's management interprets this sequence of events as an extremely cautious management of his physical condition aimed at direct preparation for the World Cup event.
The scene changed completely upon reaching the World Cup, where De Jong started all of the Netherlands' World Cup matches and maintained his place in the starting lineup until the Dutch team's elimination from the tournament on June 30 last.
The player later clarified that the Netherlands national team's medical staff did not correctly assess the extent of the injury, defending his position and confirming that he continued playing because he was aware of his ability to do so without risking an aggravation of the injury.
Doubts prevail within FC Barcelona regarding the management of the entire file from all aspects.
It was agreed after the end of the World Cup to follow a conservative treatment for a period of approximately four weeks before assessing the need for surgery, a point that has seen one of the main points of disagreement between the two parties escalate.
De Jong believes that the four-week deadline should start from the moment he returned to training, basing his position on the fact that the specific recovery work actually began then to test the knee's response time.
Barcelona's management views this matter with a completely different perspective, as the Catalan club's management argues that the player was practically performing the same rehabilitation work before returning to training, and therefore does not understand the reason for resetting the counter to zero. Both the medical and sports staff believe that the period granted for conservative treatment has become much longer than usual.
The main problem lies in the fact that the expected improvement has not materialized in reality.
Indicators regarding the player's knee reveal a lack of relief, with FC Barcelona believing that the option of conservative treatment is close to being fully exhausted.
Barcelona's management adopts a firm stance stating that De Jong must undergo surgery to end the crisis and begin a rehabilitation program with a specific schedule and deadlines.
In contrast, the midfielder continues to express his reservations about the idea of undergoing surgery, insisting on granting an additional period for conservative treatment.
This gap in opinions is fundamental; for De Jong, the crucial four-week deadline has not yet ended, while Barcelona's management believes the deadline started early, specifically after the end of the World Cup, and that continuing to wait is merely postponing a decision that is becoming increasingly inevitable.
Added to all this is the sporting and administrative impact of the potential surgery. If the surgery leads to a long-term absence, Barcelona will study the available regulatory mechanisms to provide a registration margin and utilize part of it to sign another player, in addition to obtaining financial compensation from FIFA due to the injury sustained during his international participation.
Hansi Flick needs to know when he will actually be able to rely again on one of his team's important midfielders, although the presence of Rodri will reduce his role.
Barcelona wants to end a problem that has lasted for months and affected De Jong, while the player still wants to wait.
This difference in viewpoints, after everything that happened before the World Cup and during the tournament, has led to a noticeable state of frustration within Barcelona.
