Barcelona have been rocked by an injury to Frenkie de Jong in their training session on Thursday. The Dutch midfielder could miss a run of key games for the Blaugrana, which will force Hansi Flick to improvise his plans.
On Thursday, de Jong was unable to finish their training session due to a muscle injury in his hamstring. Barcelona are conducting tests on the injury, but Sport say that they suspect a minor muscle tear. The club are awaiting conclusive results from their tests before reaching any conclusions.
De Jong may be ruled out for a month of action
Following the usual prognosis for a minor muscle tear, de Jong would be ruled out for three to four weeks of action. That would likely keep him out until after the March international break. although he could return for the final game or two before the break. He would miss at least five games against Villarreal (H), Atletico Madrid (H), Athletic Club (A), Newcastle United/Paris Saint-Gerrmain (A) and Sevilla (H).
De Jong would also be at risk of missing the return leg against Newcastle or PSG at home, and their final game before the break at home to Rayo Vallecano, which would make it a total of seven games out of action.
Olivé: “Deco is a person that when you talk to him, it’s probably difficult to find someone who knows as much about football as he does. Watching a game next to Deco is really a work of art, because he is describing situations that you do not see or that will happen.”
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 26, 2026
Hansi Flick’s alternatives to de Jong
The Dutch midfielder forms part of Flick’s starting midfield with Pedri, and he is not flush for in-form alternatives. Dani Olmo has played deeper in Pedri’s absence in recent weeks – he is only returning to fitness now – while Marc Casado and Marc Bernal are more similar alternatives. Earlier in the season Flick did use Eric Garcia in front of the back four to ease their defensive issues. Gavi is also due to return to action in the coming weeks, but Flick is expected to ease him back to fitness rather than rely on him.
