Fit De Jong has been sidetracked at Barcelona for weeks: ‘Substitute for substitutes’

For Frenkie de Jong, 2024 is a year to quickly forget. The midfielder was plagued by an ankle injury for a long time, which forced him to skip the European Championship, among other things, and has now ended up sidetracked at Barcelona.

Last Sunday, De Jong remained on the bench for ninety minutes in the top match against Atlético Madrid. That also happened to him the week before against CD Leganés. His last starting spot for Barcelona: on November 10 against Real Sociedad.

“The Frenkie case,” was the headline in the Catalan Diario Sport this morning. “The Dutch midfielder has turned from a full-fledged basic force into a reserve. He is no longer undisputed.” That is a painful situation for the 27-year-old Dutch international who, on paper, is one of Barcelona’s captains.

De Jong says he is top fit and ready to play full matches, he told Spanish media last Saturday. “The ankle injury was tough, but I feel better. I can say that I am ready to play 90 minutes, yes,” he said.

Instead, De Jong sat on the bench for the second time in a row for ninety minutes. In his position in midfield, trainer Flick now prefers Marc Casadó, a product of the famous Barcelona academy, La Masia. The 21-year-old has been a regular starter for weeks.

What is extra annoying for De Jong is that he is no longer even the first substitute for Casadó, concludes the Catalan sports newspaper Mundo Deportivo. “De Jong has become a substitute for substitutes.” On Sunday afternoon, defender Eric García was brought on for Casadó, while De Jong remained on the bench.

The question that Catalan media are now asking: is there still a future for De Jong at Barcelona?

The Catalan superpower’s financial problems have been known for some time. Every transfer period, Barcelona has the greatest difficulty in getting new signings eligible to play, because it is bound by financial rules from the Spanish Football Association.

The club sells everything that has some value, so it is not a crazy thought that De Jong could also be sold. A 27-year-old international could still deliver quite a bit.

Moreover, De Jong is one of the top earners in the Barcelona selection. Partly for this reason, the club wanted to get rid of him earlier: chairman Joan Laporta tried to push de Jong to the exit in 2022, but the Dutchman held his ground. He did agree to a deferred payment of 18 million euros that he was still owed by the club.

De Jong himself is still not interested in leaving, as he told the Spanish Sporty TV on Saturday: “I have experienced many great moments here, it is always special to wear this shirt. What I hope is that my best moments at the club still to come.”

At the same time, trainer Flick no longer seems to rule out a departure, writes Diario Sport. Last summer he stopped a transfer from De Jong, but according to the newspaper he will no longer do that from now on.

Sports website Relevo concludes with a painful conclusion for De Jong: “He should have been that great Ajax footballer who cost Barcelona a fortune, but in the meantime it would be fortunate if a good offer were made for him and he would leave.”