Barcelona Suffer Frenkie De Jong Blow, Adds to Growing Injury Concerns

Frenkie de Jong made an early return to Barcelona after suffering an injury scare while on international duty with the Netherlands.

Alarm bells sounded when De Jong exited the Oranje’s 1–1 draw with Poland just seven minutes before the final whistle. The Barcelona midfielder appeared to have some discomfort as he came off the pitch and retreated to the bench.

Following the disappointing result, manager Ronald Koeman confirmed to the media that De Jong indeed suffered a problem during the match: “Frenkie told us he felt tightness in his glute, so we didn’t take any risks.”

One day later, the Dutch national team announced De Jong will not participate in their upcoming game against Lithuania and is instead on his way back to Catalonia.

“Frenkie de Jong has left the Oranje training camp,” the team said in a statement on social media. “The midfielder is not fit enough after the Poland game to play in the World Cup qualifier against Lithuania.”

Neither the Netherlands nor Barcelona have confirmed the extent of the injury, but MARCA report De Jong is a doubt for the Catalans’ clash with Valencia on Sunday, Sept. 14. Before a decision is made, though, the 28-year-old is set to undergo medical tests to determine the severity of the injury.

This blow comes at a particularly bad time for Barcelona. Flick is already without Gavi and Alejandro Balde, who are dealing with knee and hamstring problems respectively. Plus, Lamine Yamal suffered an injury scare while on international duty with Spain.

The last thing Flick needs is one of his leaders sidelined for a lengthy spell, especially in the wake of his side’s poor 1–1 draw with Rayo Vallecano before the international break. Not to mention that Barcelona’s 2025–26 Champions League opener against Newcastle United is less than two weeks away.

The pressure will be on Marc Casadó to fill in for De Jong should the Dutchman be stuck in the infirmary. The 21-year-old impressed last season before he suffered a knee injury that kept him out for final two months of Barcelona’s 2024–25 campaign.