FC Barcelona with coach Hansi Flick has to do without midfielder Frenkie de Jong for an indefinite period of time. The 29-year-old Dutchman has torn a medial ligament in his right knee, the Spanish champions announced. However, an operation is not currently being considered; the healing process will be closely monitored in the “coming weeks”.
De Jong injured his knee at the World Cup, where his Oranje team lost to Morocco in the round of 16. The doctors there told him that it was only a minor injury and that it wouldn’t get any worse if he continued playing, de Jong wrote on Instagram.
“The only challenge was playing with a little pain,” wrote the midfield strategist. During his vacation he then returned to Barça for further examinations. These revealed that the injury was more serious than originally diagnosed.