Xavi Concerned as De Jong's Injury Delays Return

Frenkie de Jong’s season has not even started, and already it feels like it’s slipping away from him.

The Barcelona midfielder returned from the FIFA World Cup carrying what was initially described as a minor problem. He played through the pain, pushed his body to stay on the pitch, and paid for it. By the time he landed back in Catalonia, the injury had flared up badly and his condition had deteriorated.

Now he has been ruled out for the opening months of the new campaign, and the concern around him is growing.

Xavi’s new job, old worry

That concern is not limited to Barcelona.

According to SPORT, club legend and former coach Xavi Hernandez is deeply worried about De Jong’s slow recovery and the uncertainty surrounding his right knee ligament injury.

Xavi has just taken over as manager of the Dutch national team, stepping into the role previously held by another Barcelona great, Ronald Koeman. His first major task with the Oranje was supposed to include building around De Jong, the heartbeat of the Dutch midfield.

Instead, he’s watching the same player stuck in conservative treatment with no clear return date and no significant progress.

If the situation does not improve, surgery will be on the table. And once that door opens, the outlook changes completely: a much longer spell on the sidelines and a season potentially reshaped in one decision.

Xavi is due to make his debut in the Dutch dugout late in September. Barring a dramatic turnaround, De Jong will not be there. For a new national team coach trying to set his ideas and identity, that is a major blow.

Barcelona move on without him

The damage is not just international.

At club level, De Jong is watching his place in Barcelona’s starting XI drift away. From the stands. From the treatment room. From a distance he can’t close until his knee allows it.

Barcelona have already acted. They have brought in Rodri, a direct competitor for De Jong’s role at the base of midfield. Every week the new signing plays, the battle to reclaim that spot gets tougher.

For a player who has long been central to Barça’s plans, the timing could hardly be worse.

De Jong backs the conservative route

Amid all this noise, De Jong himself remains convinced: he believes conservative management will be enough. No surgery. No drastic measures. Just time, treatment, and patience.

The club will desperately hope he is right. A trip to the operating room now would likely rule him out for the bulk of the season and freeze any possibility of a winter transfer.

For Xavi and the Netherlands, for Barcelona and their evolving midfield, everything hangs on that knee and that decision.