Barcelona midfield heavyweight eyeing return in UCL opener vs Newcastle United | OneFootball

FC Barcelona went into Sunday’s game without several key players, one of whom happened to be midfield heavyweight Frenkie de Jong.

The 28-year-old ace suffered discomfort in his glutes while playing for the Netherlands during the recent international break against Poland. As such, he returned to Catalonia early, after being released by the national team.

While his issue was described as a minor one, De Jong still ended up missing Sunday’s game against Valencia at Estadi Johan Cruyff.

De Jong aiming to be back against Newcastle United

The Barcelona captain is aiming to make his comeback later this week when Barcelona take on Newcastle United, reports Gerard Romero.

De Jong worked with the rest of the squad on Saturday, but was not rushed back against Valencia yesterday.

De Jong wants to return vs Newcastle. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The Netherlands international is understood to have trained with the group again today, working with the players who had fewer minutes against Valencia.

The idea is for him to build up his fitness in time for Barcelona’s opening game of the UEFA Champions League against Newcastle United on Thursday.

Having an experienced player like De Jong will be important at a stadium like St. James’ Park, where the atmosphere can be intimidating.

In De Jong’s absence, Marc Casado got the nod as Pedri’s midfield partner against Valencia, and the youngster made a solid impression.

With Marc Bernal also returning to action after more than a year out, Hansi Flick has plenty of options to choose from in the midfield department once again.