Frenkie de Jong speeds up recovery, back on the ball at last | OneFootball

Barcelona received good news during the international break. With much of the squad away on duty with their respective national teams, Frenkie de Jong continues to make progress in his recovery and has already returned to working with the ball on the pitch at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.

The Dutch midfielder is training individually and at a moderate intensity, but his feelings have improved considerably in recent days. The progress of his injury is becoming increasingly positive.

De Jong leaves the discomfort behind

Frenkie has been out of action since suffering a tear of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.

During the first weeks of recovery, the player mainly did physical exercises and straight-line running, without yet doing any work with the ball. The discomfort appeared especially when he made lateral movements, precisely in the affected area.

The situation is different now.

De Jong can now step onto the pitch, work with the ball and progressively increase his workload, although he is still training separately from the rest of the squad.

Barcelona had initially considered different alternatives to treat the injury, including the possibility of surgery, but in the end it was decided to go with a conservative treatment.

There are still several weeks to go

Although the return to the pitch represents significant progress, Barcelona has no intention of speeding up the process.

The current forecast indicates that Frenkie will still need approximately two to three weeks before joining group training.

Once the international break is over, the medical staff and coaching staff will reassess his progress to determine when he will be ready to complete training sessions normally.

Hansi Flick will be able to monitor his recovery more closely in the coming days and personally check how the Dutchman responds to the gradual increase in workload.

Good news for Flick

Barcelona are going through these days with a very reduced squad due to international commitments. For that reason, De Jong’s progress is especially positive news for the coaching staff.

The midfielder will still have to wait before returning to competition, but the fact that he has moved past some of the limitations he had weeks ago is an important step.

After several weeks in which his work had been mainly limited to physical exercises and running, Frenkie de Jong has the ball at his feet again.

There is still no definitive date for his return, but the Dutchman has already begun the final stretch of his recovery.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.