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2 months ago
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Over the past few weeks, there have been contradicting updates coming forward with regard to the fitness situation of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
Bringing the latest on the situation, SPORT reports that the Dutch midfield ace will likely miss the club’s pre-season tour of the USA, but could be ready in time for the start of the season.
What’s the situation?
De Jong suffered an ankle injury back in April during a La Liga El Clasico and was expected to be out for a month or so.
The hope was that the 26-year-old Netherlands international would recover for the UEFA Euro 2024 but he had to withdraw from the tournament after initially being named in the Netherlands squad as he was far from being fully recovered.
Last week when De Jong showed up at the Barcelona training facilities for pre-season medical check-ups, his ankle was still swollen and caused concerns within the club and among the fans.
Frenkie de Jong has been out since April. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)Some reports suggested that the midfielder was still three weeks away from being able to return to team training.
However, other outlets suggested that De Jong was upset by the rumours about his fitness condition and that he was ready to return to training in the next few days.
Now, according to the latest information available to SPORT, De Jong is still out for two more weeks and will not be a part of the US tour. But the idea is that he will be ready for the start of the season in mid-August.
Who else will miss out?
Pedri, who is recovering from a knee injury, will play no part in the pre-season tour of the USA, along with Ronald Araujo, who is set to be out for four months due to a hamstring issue. Gavi will also be a notable absentee.
Meanwhile, Alejandro Balde is set to be available for the tour with the left-back in the final phase of his recovery from injury.
Pablo Torre fractured his hand in training on Tuesday and will undergo surgery this week but is still expected to be available for the trip.
