Barcelona suffer Champions League setback as Frenkie de Jong’s injury recovery timeline emerges
Frenkie de Jong has been one of Barcelona‘s most notable absentees over recent weeks, forcing coach Hansi Flick to lean heavily on his younger midfield options. With the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 now just around the corner, De Jong will remain sidelined, as his recovery timeline has now been confirmed.
The issue dates back to late February, when De Jong was forced to cut short a Barcelona training session with what was later confirmed to be a strain of the distal hamstring in his right leg. Concern quickly mounted over how long the Dutch midfielder would be out, with the injury count now standing at three matches missed: Villarreal, Atlético Madrid and last weekend’s clash with Athletic Club.
Speaking to ESPN, Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman addressed De Jong’s situation and provided a clearer picture of when he can be expected back. “Frenkie de Jong will be out for approximately six weeks. Sometimes I think it might be good for someone to be out for six weeks so that they get less tired,” said Koeman, effectively ruling him out of the upcoming March international window squad.
With a recovery timeline pointing to early April, De Jong will miss not only Barcelona’s Champions League Round of 16 series against Newcastle United but also the Netherlands’ March friendlies against Norway on the 27th and Ecuador on the 31st. “Even so, we have to wait for him to regain his fitness once he returns,” he added.
With Pedri back from his own muscle injury, Flick has been experimenting with how to cover De Jong’s role, with Marc Casadó and Marc Bernal competing for the position. Between the first leg at St. James’ Park on March 10 and the second leg at the Camp Nou on the 18th, the German coach will have to navigate a critical stretch of the season without one of the club’s key figures and captains.
De Jong not the only key absence against Newcastle United
De Jong has been a pivotal contributor this season with 31 appearances, one goal and seven assists, but it is worth noting that Barcelona have won all 10 matches in which he has been absent, suggesting the squad has shown it can cope without him. Even so, he is just one piece of a much larger injury puzzle heading into the Newcastle tie.
The most recent and significant blows came in the Copa del Rey semifinal against Atlético Madrid, where both Jules Koundé and Alejandro Baldé were forced off. Koundé suffered an injury to the middle third of the biceps femoris in his left thigh and is expected to miss several weeks.
In Baldé’s case, the left back sustained a distal biceps femoris injury in his left thigh, with a recovery timeline of approximately four weeks. Andreas Christensen, meanwhile, remains unavailable and is not expected to feature again until next season. The biggest wildcard is Gavi, who has recently returned to training after tearing the internal meniscus of his right knee in late September, but whether he will be fit enough to feature against Newcastle remains very much in the air.