De Jong warns he is still not at 100%

FC Barcelona

DE JONG STILL FEELS DISCOMFORT IN HIS ANKLE

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De Jong
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Frenkie de Jong, midfielder of FC Barcelona, played again in Amsterdam with the Dutch national team 433 days later, playing the first 68 minutes of the match that ended with a resounding 4-0 victory against Hungary, ensuring qualification for the quarterfinals of the Nations League. The 27-year-old midfielder returned as a starter for the Netherlands after overcoming his injury and, although he received praise for his performance this Saturday, confirmed that he will not start in the next match against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Meanwhile, the Dutch coach Ronald Koeman announced that the Barcelona player will not play the full 90 minutes in the second match. In statements to NOS, De Jong expressed a somewhat ambiguous message: although he was "happy" to wear the 'oranje' shirt again, he also talked about the arduous recovery process from his injuries in the right ankle, after being out of the field for almost half a year.

"Normally I had the feeling of returning to my level fairly quickly after an injury. That is different now, I have more effects from this. It is still sensitive at certain times, but I also need to regain the confidence that I can do certain things. That can only be achieved by playing matches, hopefully the pain will disappear on its own", he said before pointing out that he trusts that the succession of appearances will make him grow gradually. "I just have to play matches and train. Then I hope to be fit and feel better. Fitness will return naturally", he predicted.