Having the last phase of the 2023-24 season, the entire summer, and the starting phase of the 2024-25 season on the sidelines with an ankle injury, the FC Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong returned to action last month.
In October, he was able to play in all of his team’s matches, barring the one against Sevilla, and was instrumental in the El Clasico. The €60m-rated Dutch midfield star arrived on the pitch at half-time in that game, and it was only after his arrival that goals started coming for Barcelona, who ultimately won the match 4-0. However, his performance had not been as good in some other matches.
As SPORT has reported, one of his colleagues in the midfield, Pedri, appeared in an interview with La Liga after being recognized as the best U-23 player in the league in the last month, and highlighted how Frenkie’s introduction changed that game in their favor:
“The defensive line was very solid; we had worked on it a lot, and it was functioning well. Keeping calm with the ball and Frenkie’s introduction changed the game—he gives you so much with the ball, and I’m very happy that he’s finding his form. We’re definitely going to see the best version of Frenkie.”
“You always expect a very tough game, one decided by small details. We didn’t imagine it would go this way, even though we scored a lot of goals, because Madrid can embarrass you.”
There is no doubt about the quality that Frenkie de Jong possesses, and he remains one of the most skilled midfielders in this Barcelona team.
However, it will be much more difficult for him to get a starting spot in the team than it has been since his arrival at the club as Marc Casado is playing at a very high level in the pivot position, and Pedri is also a fixed starter for Flick.
