Is This the End of Frenkie de Jong at Barcelona?

Last Wednesday, Barcelona presented their squad to fans at the traditional Joan Gamper Trophy celebration. This is a very special day, as players emerge onto the pitch one by one to greet the crowd before the match. Everyone was met with great affection, especially the team's stars and new signing Rodri. However, the exact opposite happened with one particular player. When Frenkie de Jong stepped onto the field, there were few cheers and many boos. Camp Nou had delivered its verdict on the Dutchman. This surprised no one. Many anticipated such a reaction from the public after recent events. The situation is becoming increasingly complicated at a club that has seen similar issues with the midfielder before.

The catalyst this time was the injury he sustained during the World Cup with his national team. Instead of resting, he pushed to play. After their elimination, instead of returning quickly to Barcelona, he went on vacation. When he finally appeared at the training complex, after pressure from the club, tests confirmed the severity of his injury. Then came the treatment. Instead of undergoing surgery, as most doctors recommended, he opted for conservative treatment, which is unlikely to work. Most likely, after two months with this method, he will eventually need surgery and will miss half the season. This decision was poorly received by the club.

Angered by the rumors circulating about him, De Jong decided to speak publicly to criticize certain media outlets. Without anyone asking him to, all he achieved was to add fuel to the fire. The reason is that not everything he said was true, and he also managed to turn part of the press against him. And not everything he said was published. The result is that he was left out of the captaincy group. Flick was very diplomatic, stating that his injury was the reason, which is true, but he could have kept him as captain if he had wanted to. The situation is tense. It is rumored that the coach is highly irritated with the player, despite his conciliatory words to the media.

It should not be forgotten that the Dutchman renewed his contract last season. Nevertheless, voices are beginning to emerge suggesting that a sale would be the best solution. Currently, this is complicated as he is injured, but in the winter transfer window, if the situation does not improve, no scenario can be ruled out. It will also be interesting to see how the team reacts when the captaincy vote takes place. The player himself has repeatedly been linked with an exit from Camp Nou in recent years, but he always insisted he wanted to stay and resisted any attempts to sell him. However, the situation around him is becoming increasingly tense, and this time it could lead to a complete breakdown.

Luis Rojo, "Marca"