One step forward, two steps back. That's where Frenkie de Jong finds himself at Barcelona. Just as everyone believed his return was drawing near, a test on the pitch delivered a brutal verdict: the Dutchman's recovery remains long and complicated, and the pain still haunts him.
De Jong took part in a field test at the sports city on Tuesday, spending a few minutes on the pitch working through individual drills. He soon told the medical staff he was still feeling discomfort and pain, especially when stopping and braking. His return remains a long way off.
The midfielder's gruelling recovery stems from the serious injury he suffered to his right knee at the World Cup. Barcelona's medical staff confirmed a tear in the medial collateral ligament of the right knee, and the club opted at the time for conservative treatment while monitoring his condition closely.
According to Spanish newspaper "Sport", the outing was meant to gauge how his leg responded after weeks of individual training, with de Jong completing light runs and tightly controlled exercises. The outcome disappointed. The pain lingers, and it is keeping him away from group sessions.
Both club and player are treating the matter with real caution this time, and nobody wants to rush him back. The date for stepping up his training load and rejoining the team will hinge on how his condition develops day by day. The newspaper did, however, reveal some discontent within the club over how the player handled his recovery last season.
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For now, de Jong has laced up his boots and got back to running on the grass. The pain, though, remains the story, and the coming days will decide the next steps in a recovery that looks longer than anyone expected.