Hansi Flick will be without several players in the first few days of the pre-season. Some of these players will be absent from the Barcelona camp because they participated in international tournaments like the UEFA EURO 2024 and 2024 Copa America, after which they have to rest and relax before the proper season starts.
Some other players will be unavailable because of their injuries. One player in this latter category is Frenkie de Jong, who suffered an injury late in the last season. He also had to miss the EURO 2024 campaign with the Netherlands because of this issue.
Headed by the former Barcelona coach and legend Ronald Koeman, the Orange team was able to get to the semi-finals of the competition even without their key midfielder. But there is no doubt that Frenkie’s absence hurt the team in such an important competition.
Koeman himself definitely missed the midfielder. As Mundo Deportivo has reported, he made his feelings on this subject known as he spoke to the media at a golf club in Barcelona.
The manager wished a speedy recovery for the Dutchman, but revealed that the player himself was worried about his situation:
“Of course, I talk to him because we know each other well. He’s worried about his injury. Before the Euro Cup, we thought he wouldn’t make it to the first match, but we had hopes he could play in the tournament, but in the end, it wasn’t like that.”
“He has a significant injury, and we have to wait to see how everything progresses. I wish him luck and hope he recovers soon, but he’s not ready to play yet.”
The Dutch coach also blamed his former club for Frenkie’s situation:
“I know much more than you, and he played important matches when he still wasn’t at 100%. He wasn’t in match rhythm and had few training sessions to play such important matches like against Paris.”
“On the other hand, I understand, because it was a very important moment for Barça, but in the end, it hasn’t been good for Frenkie’s health.”
Despite his injuries and reports linking him with a move away from Barcelona, there is no doubt that he is one of the most capable midfielders present in the Blaugrana squad. Hopefully, he will be able to get over his injury as soon as possible and return to action as the next season starts.
