Barcelona are increasingly unhappy with Frenkie de Jong’s handling of his ongoing knee problem, with the midfielder still unwilling to undergo surgery despite signs that conservative treatment is not producing the expected improvement.
Sources within Barcelona, quoted by Spanish newspaper Sport, say more than six weeks have passed since De Jong’s final appearance at the World Cup on 30 June, yet the Netherlands international has not agreed to an operation. The club’s medical and sporting departments believe the current approach is close to exhausting its potential, while De Jong remains convinced he should be given more time to recover without surgery.
The disagreement has its roots in the way the midfielder’s fitness was managed in the months before the World Cup. There is a growing feeling inside Barcelona that De Jong’s condition was handled with extreme caution from late winter onwards, largely because of his determination to be fit for the tournament.
De Jong last completed a full match for Barcelona on 22 February. He then missed nine consecutive games before returning for six further appearances, although he did not regain a regular starting place. He was subsequently rested for Barcelona’s final two La Liga matches before joining the Netherlands squad.
Barcelona view that sequence as evidence of a carefully controlled fitness programme designed to prepare De Jong specifically for the World Cup. Their interpretation of the situation changed once the tournament began, however, as the midfielder started every match for the Netherlands and remained in the first-choice line-up until the team’s elimination on 30 June.
De Jong later said the Netherlands medical staff had not correctly assessed the extent of his injury. He defended his decision to continue playing, saying he believed he could do so without risking a serious worsening of the problem.
The club now has doubts about the management of the case as a whole. After the World Cup, both sides agreed to pursue conservative treatment for about four weeks before deciding whether an operation would be required. That period has become the central point of dispute.
De Jong believes the four-week assessment period should begin when he returned to training, arguing that his recovery work only properly started at that stage and that the knee needed to be monitored over that period.
Barcelona take a different view. The club says De Jong had already been undertaking essentially the same rehabilitation work before returning to training, and therefore sees no reason for the timeframe to have been reset. Barcelona’s medical and sporting departments believe the conservative treatment has already continued for considerably longer than is usual.
The main concern is that the expected improvement has not materialised. Information about the condition of De Jong’s knee has not provided reassurance, reinforcing the club’s belief that surgery may now be the most effective way to resolve the issue.
Barcelona want De Jong to undergo the operation and begin a rehabilitation programme built around clear dates and a defined timetable. The player, however, continues to resist that option and is seeking an additional period of non-surgical treatment.
The difference is fundamental. De Jong believes the decisive four-week window has not yet expired, whereas Barcelona considers it to have started shortly after the World Cup. From the club’s perspective, further waiting would simply delay a decision that is becoming increasingly unavoidable.
Any operation could also have sporting and administrative consequences. If surgery resulted in a lengthy absence, Barcelona would study the regulations available to create additional registration capacity and use part of it to sign another player. The club could also seek financial compensation from FIFA for an injury sustained during international duty.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick needs clarity over when he can realistically expect to use one of his important midfielders again, although Rodri’s presence would reduce De Jong’s role.
The club wants to end a problem that has affected De Jong for months. The player, meanwhile, still wants to wait, and the disagreement has contributed to marked discontent at Barcelona.
