Frenkie de Jong made his long-awaited return to Barcelona on Tuesday after being sidelined for practically 5 months due to an ankle harm.
The Dutch midfielder changed Lamine Yamal within the seventy fifth minute of Barcelona’s 5-0 rout of Younger Boys within the Champions League.
De Jong had damage his proper ankle in April in a Spanish league Clasico towards Actual Madrid. He additionally missed the European Championship due to the harm.
His prolonged layoff led to some harsh therapy from native media, who questioned his restoration timeline and the amount of cash he makes, and De Jong admitted earlier than his return that the day without work and among the reporting surrounding his injury had taken a toll.
“I’m actually pleased with the win and, personally, to be again taking part in,” De Jong stated after the sport. “The followers gave me reception and I am grateful for that since you by no means understand how you may be acquired. I did not anticipate it. I am pleased with the best way I used to be welcomed again.
“The staff is in good kind and has been because the begin of the season. We’re taking part in properly. We’ve to maintain going now, preserve enhancing and see the place it takes us.”
When requested how he noticed himself becoming into supervisor Hansi Flick’s staff — an whether or not he’d be open to a job from the substitutes’ bench — the Netherlands worldwide stated he’d play at any time when and wherever he was requested.
“It is determined by the coach. He picks the staff and who performs and I will give every little thing I can,” De Jong stated. “It is at all times a troublesome time once you’re injured. It has been a tough course of and there have been some low moments throughout it.”
Barcelona had opened their Champions League marketing campaign with a 2-1 loss at Monaco.
Additionally Tuesday, ahead Ansu Fati made his second look of the season after changing Pedri within the 63rd minute. Fati had performed a couple of minutes in Barcelona’s match at Monaco final month.
“It is a easy motive,” Flick stated concerning the introduction for Fati. “Frenkie wasn’t prepared but, we would have liked a number of extra minutes for Frenkie to come back out and so we stated okay, let’s begin with Ansu in that place after which let’s swap him with Frenkie and that is what we did a bit of bit later.
“For Frenkie right now was an necessary step, to come back again to the staff after having suffered such a critical harm, taking part in some minutes right now was necessary for him. I’d have favored to have used him earlier however he got here on when he did, he is come a great distance, bought some touches, ran a bit of bit, it was necessary for him to really feel like a soccer participant once more, and get that feeling again.”
Fati returned to Barcelona this season from a mortgage to English membership Brighton final 12 months.
Robert Lewandowski scored twice and Raphinha and Iñigo Martínez added targets for Barcelona, together with an own-goal by Mohamed Camara, in a dominant win towards Younger Boys.
“We’re a bit extra aggressive defensively, we press higher, we play compact soccer, attempt to look to use the areas, and on prime of that once you win issues are simply simpler, it is simpler to make these changes,” Flick stated when requested about his staff’s present kind. “I believe we are the staff with essentially the most offside traps and for that all of us want to grasp the message and our function.”
Info from The Related Press was used on this story.
