Flick ‘annoyed’, fans whistle: Veteran midfielder’s Barcelona future takes worrying turn | OneFootball

Frenkie de Jong’s situation at Barcelona appears to be entering a difficult phase, with the Dutch midfielder facing growing questions over his injury, his treatment decision and his relationship with the club, reports MARCA.

In fact, the latest signs of frustration were visible during the Joan Gamper Trophy presentation, where De Jong received a mixed reaction from the Barcelona supporters. 

There were some cheers when he stepped onto the pitch, but the whistles were impossible to ignore.

For what it is worth, the reaction did not come entirely out of nowhere, as De Jong’s actions following his injury on international duty have caused frustration, and doubts are growing over how his recovery will develop.

De Jong’s injury causes fresh tension at Barcelona

The situation began when De Jong suffered an injury while playing for the Netherlands at the World Cup.

Rather than immediately stopping, the Barcelona midfielder pushed himself in an attempt to continue playing. 

Frenkie de Jong is growing to become a problem for Barcelona. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

After the Netherlands were eliminated, however, he did not return to Barcelona straight away and instead went on holiday.

Ultimately, De Jong arrived at the club’s training ground after pressure from Barcelona, and medical tests then revealed the seriousness of his injury.

That was only the beginning of the disagreement.

The Dutch midfielder chose conservative treatment rather than undergoing surgery, despite the recommendation of several doctors. 

Barcelona are understood to have concerns over that decision, with fears that the treatment may not solve the problem.

The concern is that De Jong could spend around two months following a conservative recovery plan before eventually requiring surgery anyway. Such a scenario could see him miss a significant part of the season.

Barcelona could still leave Barcelona this summer. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

That possibility has not gone down well at the club, with Barcelona now dealing with an increasingly complicated injury situation.

Flick’s captaincy decision adds to Barcelona doubts

De Jong has also lost his place in Barcelona’s captaincy group, with Hansi Flick explaining the decision by pointing towards the midfielder’s injury. 

While that was a diplomatic response and factually correct, the Barcelona coach could have retained De Jong as a captain if he had wanted to.

However, Flick is unhappy with how events have developed.

Barcelona have invested heavily in De Jong and only tied him down to a new contract last season, which makes an immediate exit difficult to imagine.

Still, according to the report, voices are beginning to emerge that believe a sale could eventually be the best solution if the relationship between the player and Barcelona does not improve.