Barcelona superstar will be out for 4-5 weeks due to injury – report

Barcelona were dealt a double injury setback this past Sunday as they lost two key players, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri, to injuries during the game against Athletic Club.

The club issued an official statement confirming the nature of the pair’s injuries earlier today, which read:

“Frenkie de Jong has a lateral ligament sprain in his right ankle. Pedri has a right quadriceps injury. Both players are out and their recovery will determine their availability.”

Frenkie could be out for 4-5 weeks

The club’s statement did not provide any information regarding the recovery timeline of the pair.

But journalist Toni Juanmarti has come forth with an update on the possible return date for Frenkie de Jong.

As per the update, the midfield superstar is now expected to be out of action for a period of four to five weeks.

It would entail that the Netherlands international will miss the upcoming matches against RCD Mallorca, Napoli, and Atletico Madrid, the latter two being extremely important matches for the team.

There may be a slight possibility that De Jong returns against Las Palmas on March 30, although it is more likely that he would make his comeback after the Copa del Rey final break in the first week of April.

As such, the Dutchman could be pencilled in to return against Cadiz on the weekend of April 13-14.

With already Gavi unavailable and now De Jong expected to be out for a month and Pedri’s injury to go along with, Barcelona are set to be left short-handed in quality in the midfield department and the burden will fall on Ilkay Gundogan’s shoulder.