'Frenkie de Jong not at his best yet' - Ronald Koeman feels Barcelona playmaker still some way off peak level after injury nightmare

Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman feels Frenkie de Jong is not quite where he needs to be yet as the Barcelona star continues his recovery process after shaking off a lengthy ankle injury. De Jong was called up by Koeman for Netherlands' upcoming UEFA Nations League games, getting ready to make his first international appearance since September 2023 after narrowly escaping a potential new injury during Barca's 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad.

The 27-year-old has battled injury issues after suffering two ankle injuries in the 2023-24 season, which forced him out of action for almost seven months. De Jong recovered last month and has made seven appearances under new Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, racking up a total of 245 minutes.

With the midfielder seemingly returning to full fitness over the last month, Flick decided to hand De Jong his second consecutive start of the season against Real Sociedad in LaLiga on Sunday.

A challenge from a Sociedad player in the 25th minute, though, seemed to have troubled De Jong in the same ankle, but Koeman has made it clear that the former Ajax man has not picked up a serious injury.

"I got in touch pretty quickly. Then it became clear that it wasn't about his ankle. It was already stated somewhere that it was about his shin, so it wasn't a problem then either," Koeman told while addressing the media on Monday (h/t Voetbalzone).

"We assume that he can play on Saturday. But it is possible that he will have to train individually tomorrow. But we will see that tomorrow. It's clear that he's been out for a long time and hasn't played a whole game yet. So yes, then you're not at your peak yet, let's put it that way. But it's so important for us that he's there."

Netherlands will host Hungary on Saturday, November 16, followed by a trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday, November 19. Koeman and Co. find themselves in second place in the Nations League A Group 3 with five points from four games. They trail Germany by five points and will be keen to win their remaining fixtures.