Frenkie de Jong has issued a lengthy statement on Instagram addressing his knee injury and the media speculation around it. Questions had been raised over his commitment to the club, prompting the Dutchman to respond.
Back early from his holiday after the World Cup, De Jong reported knee trouble. His club carried out various tests, but they brought little encouragement. FC Barcelona have now confirmed that De Jong has suffered a tear in the medial collateral ligament of his knee, meaning he will work on his recovery under the guidance of the medical staff in the coming weeks.
Reports in the Spanish media had previously claimed De Jong had fallen out with coach Hansi Flick because he was said to have refused to play at the end of last season after being given the green light by the medical staff. The midfielder has now answered all the noise in a post on his Instagram page.
“Normally I do not pay much attention to what is written about me, the team or the club,” he begins. “But recently there has been a lot of speculation about my injury and my situation at Barça. I find it difficult to see people questioning my relationship with the club and my commitment because of inaccurate reporting.”
“Football means everything to me and I have always given everything for FC Barcelona and my country,” he continues. “That is why I would like to share what happened. During the World Cup I suffered a knee injury. After the initial examinations, the doctors told me it was a minor injury and that it would not get worse if I kept playing. The only challenge was that I would have to play with some pain, but I have always done that throughout my career whenever I could contribute to my team, both at my club and for my country.”
“During my holiday I returned to Barcelona for additional examinations. Those showed that the injury was more serious than initially thought. Fortunately, surgery is not necessary at this time. I am now fully focused on my recovery and want to be back on the pitch as soon as possible,” said De Jong.
“Every day I work to be in the best possible condition. I take my profession, my body and my responsibility towards the team extremely seriously. But sometimes there are things you have no control over, and this injury is an example of that. Playing for Barça and the Netherlands is something I am incredibly proud of and my commitment to both will never change.”
“I will continue to give everything for this shirt, for my team-mates and for our fans. There are still many great moments and goals ahead of us. Thank you for all the support. I cannot wait to be back,” he concludes.