Frenkie de Jong offers injury update and explains why he kept on playing at World Cup 2026

Birmingham, United Kingdom - July 31: Frenkie de Jong of FC Barcelona before the during the pre-season friendly match between Birmingham City and FC Barcelona at St Andrew's at Knighthead Park on July 31, 2026 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Ryan Crockett/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images) | DeFodi Images via Getty Images

Frenkie de Jong has offered some insight into his knee injury and says he’s doing all he can to return to action as quickly as possible for Barcelona.

The midfielder suffered a knee ligament injury at World Cup 2026 which has forced him onto the sidelines. There’s been speculation that Barcelona want him to undergo surgery, but De Jong insists both club and player are on the same page.

“I’m doing work with the physical therapists. We’ve made a plan which everyone knows about an everyone agrees with,” he told the club’s media.

“I just want to focus on my recovery. I’m doing everything I can to be in good physical condition: I’m taking care of my diet, my rest and everything else that is in my hands. Right now, I’m doing everything necessary to come back in good shape and as soon as possible.”

De Jong also spoke about how the injury came about and why he kept on playing at the World Cup despite the problem.

“Well, I’m really pissed off about it. It really frustrates me because what I love most is playing football, especially for Barcelona and for the national team. So when I’m injured, it really bothers me,” he added.

“And on top of that, I think I’ve been very unlucky with this injury because it was an accident, someone fell on top of me and I had a small issue with my knee. I had some discomfort during the World Cup. I also want to explain this so that people know what happened.

“We did tests and everything, and they showed that there was a small problem. Everyone knew about it. They said I could continue playing, that I’d be uncomfortable and would have some pain, but that I could keep playing. I also asked about it, and they assured me that it couldn’t get worse. So I kept playing because I love playing football. The World Cup is a dream. I would always do everything I could to play. I’ve done that many times at Barca as well, and that’s what I did.

“I came back and had tests because I wanted to know. We did a scan and it showed that the injury was now more serious than when we did the tests in the US. That was really hard because I wasn’t expecting it, and nobody was expecting it.”

There’s still no clear idea of when De Jong will be fit to return but he will certainly miss the start of the season for Barcelona.

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