Xavi Hernández reports hope for Frenkie de Jong's return in November
In an interview with TV3, national team coach Xavi Hernández announced that Frenkie de Jong is expected to be available again for the internationals in November, despite the midfielder still recovering from a knee injury sustained during the last World Cup.
Recovery from the knee injury
De Jong has not shown any action for FC Barcelona since the World Cup match against Morocco on June 30, because a tear in the medial collateral ligament of his right knee was diagnosed. The club advised surgery, but the 29‑year‑old opted for a conservative treatment. Recently he has been training again alone on the pitch and the pain has virtually disappeared.
Xavi’s comments on TV3
“I have spoken with him, we have a very good relationship,” said Xavi Hernández during the interview with the Catalan channel TV3. “He is satisfied with how his recovery is progressing and he feels very good. We will see, we will see.” The coach emphasized that the main step now is to determine whether De Jong can rejoin the group and perform at 100 %.
Outlook for November
Although De Jong has not yet taken part in the first international period under Xavi, it appears that after the break he will rejoin the Catalans’ group training. Xavi expects that the midfielder, once his teammates return, will resume training. Hansi Flick also responded optimistically earlier this month to De Jong's recovery.
Xavi Hernandez reports Frenkie de Jong's progress in Zeist
Earlier this week the Spanish magazine SPORT reported that De Jong is making ‘big strides’ in his rehabilitation. A few weeks ago he had to return to the sidelines after a short sprint session due to complaints, but since then he has reported no pain.
De Jong returned to FC Barcelona after a vacation with knee problems, where he played the last three World Cup matches with pain following a misdiagnosis by the KNVB medical staff. Tests in Barcelona confirmed the MCL tear.
With the positive signals from both Xavi Hernández and Hansi Flick, and the absence of pain during solo training sessions, there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel for the Dutch midfielder.