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| 08 Pedri of FC Barcelona injured during the UEFA Europa League match between FC Barcelona v Manchester United of round of 16 at Spotify Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, on February 16th, 2023. |
The injury woes for FC Barcelona are not something that have been particularly prideful for the Catalan giants in recent times. Losing several key figures within the team to various injuries time after time, it is only due to the quality depth at the club that Xavi has managed to keep Barca from completely sinking.
The latest injury within the FC Barcelona squad is the one to Dutch midfielder Frenkie De Jong. Clearly showcasing discomfort in the recent game against Celta Vigo in La Liga, De Jong had to be substituted quite early into the game, raising alarm bells for both the coaching staff and fans of Barcelona.
As it turns out, the initial diagnosis has the 26-year-old ruled out for around a two-month period due to ‘an injury of the distal tibioperoneal syndesmosis in the right ankle’ of the Dutchman. As a result, it was previously expected that De Jong would end up missing several games for Barcelona, including the ever-important El Clasico against Real Madrid.
However, fans of La Blaugrana may not have to drop their hopes completely just yet. According to the Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Frenkie De Jong has already begun to work on his conservative recovery to enable him to be available for selection when the clash against Real Madrid at the Montjuic Stadium comes around in about five weeks’ time.
For now, the plan is for De Jong to passively and organically recover in the presence of Barca’s medical head Dr. Ricard Pruna. However, if it was absolutely necessary and the player was deemed to be almost close to full recovery, Barcelona may opt for an anesthetic option to allow De Jong to play against Real Madrid when the game arrives at the end of October.
At the moment, however, De Jong joins Barcelona prodigy Pedri on the sidelines to recover from their respective injuries. In the case of the 20-year-old Canary Islander, it is an injury to the anterior rectum of his right thigh that is currently keeping him out of action.
However, in the case of Pedri, the Golden Boy is expected to make a full recovery by El Clasico and possibly even end up being available alongside De Jong if this recent report ends up coming to fruition. For now, Xavi and his men will have to figure things out without two of their absolute best midfielders.