Barcelona has announced that midfielder Frenkie de Jong experienced a right hamstring strain during their El Clasico defeat against Real Madrid.
The 24-year-old was substituted in the 77th minute during the match as a result of the injury. The Catalan club confirmed there is no scheduled return date for the Dutch international.
Frenkie de Jong Suffers Hamstring Injury
Club statement
A brief statement from Barcelona read: “The first team player Frenkie de Jong has a hamstring strain in his right thigh. The midfielder is unavailable for selection and his recovery will dictate his return.”
De Jong’s Workload
Frenkie de Jong falls in the category of elite performers that have been overworked over the course of the last three seasons.
FIFPro’s annual workload report found over 60 per cent of his minutes were in the ‘critical zone‘ (playing a sufficient amount in a short period) during his final year at Ajax. While it dipped two seasons ago, due to the coronavirus pandemic, more than 80 per cent of de Jong’s minutes were in the’ critical zone’ in 2020/21 – the highest of any player sampled.
In simpler terms, the Dutchman racked up the most minutes pre-European Championships with 5534 minutes. A further 348 minutes were added during the summer tournament.
De Jong suffered a calf injury in pre-season but he was able to recover from that setback quickly and effectively. Now it is likely he faces a period on the sidelines due to the time he has spent on the pitch without sufficient rest and recovery.
A Tough Day for Barcelona
There is little doubt Frenkie de Jong’s injury diagnosis rubs salt in Barcelona’s wounds. The 2-1 home defeat to their fierce rivals was a bad enough result without their key midfielder now missing for an unknown amount of games.
The Dutchman has played 11 matches this season, starting in every instance, and provided two assists. He is fundamental to the team and how they operate.
Most of all though, this is news that Ronald Koeman, who was unacceptably abused after the defeat, would not have wished for. The pressure on him is mounting as every game passes.
It is almost inevitable that Koeman would have been sacked by now if Barcelona could afford to compensate de Jong’s countryman. However, there is little idea if that day is coming anytime soon.
The injury to de Jong will cause even more problems. Koeman will hope that he can find a temporary remedy for his absence.
Main Photo
