Hansi Flick unsure of Camp Nou return, answers Frenkie de Jong struggles – ‘That’s why he has less minutes’

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has defended Frenkie de Jong from criticism, stating that he needs time to get back to his best. However he also admitted that the Dutchman is not part of their best team in the process.

He was asked about his recovery, and Flick was clear that de Jong had to prove he was up to the demands of the game to get more minutes.

“He’s coming back from a long injury, he’s doing well, he’s recovering well. He came back 3 or 4 weeks ago. It was before the break, he’s back, we’re helping him and in the midfield we have very good players. When we can give him minutes, we do it. In training you must show that you are 100% physically.”

It was queried how long it will take for de Jong to get back to his best. Increasingly, it is looking difficult for him to have a place in the starting XI.

“He has gone through a long injury, he took a bad knock. In one-on-one he took it. And this needs to be managed. Now he needs to regain his confidence, and I know that it is very important for him to have minutes. Now we analyse each game, and what is important is to win. And I want the best possible team tomorrow, and that is how we make decisions. And this is the reason why perhaps he does not have as many minutes as he would like, or we would like.”

Wishing FC Barcelona a very happy 125th birthday!