Frenkie de Jong warns of slow recovery process after making first international appearance in 14 months | OneFootball

On Saturday, Frenkie de Jong started, and played 68 minutes, as The Netherlands defeated Hungary in the UEFA Nations League. It is the 27-year-old’s first international appearance since September 2023, as three successive ankle injuries meant that he was unable to play for Oranje until now.

De Jong spoke to the media post-match (via MD) to describe his sensations after such a long absence, and he admitted that he does not expect to return to 100% anytime soon.

“Normally I had the feeling of getting back to my level pretty quickly after an injury. That’s different now, I have more sequels from this. It’s still sensitive at certain times, but I also need to regain the confidence so that I can do certain things. That can only be achieved by playing games – hopefully the pain will disappear on its own. I just have to play matches and train, then I hope to be fit and feel better. The form will return naturally.”

It is a positive sign that de Jong was able to start his third match in a row (after successive starts vs Crvena Zvedza and Real Sociedad). He’s going in the right direction, which Barcelona are sure to be very happy about.