Barcelona confirm Frenkie de Jong injury: how long will he be out for? Will he face Real Madrid in El Clásico?

Barcelona produced a comeback for the ages at home to Celta Vigo in LaLiga on Saturday and have moved to the top of LaLiga in the process, following Real Madrid’s loss to Atlético Madrid 24 hours later. Xavi Hernández’s side looked down and out when went 2-0 down with less than 15 minutes to play but, out of nowhere, scored three times in eight minutes, including two goals for Robert Lewandowski, to clinch a sixth win in a row.

What injury did de Jong suffer against Celta?

It wasn’t all good news for Barça, however, who found themselves a goal down when they lost key midfield man Frenkie de Jong to injury. The Dutchman was replaced by Gavi before half time and although he did go down prior to be substituted, didn’t initially appear to be suffering too much as he made his way off the field.

Appearances can be deceiving, however, with Barcelona later revealing that tests had shown he had suffered a not insignificant injury to his right ankle. On Monday, the former Ajax youngster was even spotted arriving at Barça’s training complex on crutches.

Although the club have publicly said that “he is unavailable for selection and his recovery will dictate his return”, it is believed the issue could keep him out of action between five and seven weeks.

Xavi discusses de Jong before LaLiga game at Mallorca

In his pre-match press conference ahead of Barça’s game against Real Mallorca on Tuesday, Xavi revealed that he doesn’t expect de Jong to be available until after the next international break, which runs from 9-17 October. “Frenkie’s absence is a big blow for us considering how we play and his exceptional performances since last season. There are many players who could replace him, and we hope we’re not too affected by his absence. As for the timeframe, we will see how he is after the (international) break, but we want him to make a full recovery and get back to being 100%.”

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Pedri absence and Real Madrid on the horizon

The Dutchman’s injury is clearly very bad news for Xavi on several fronts, not least because he is already without teenage midfield star Pedri, who hasn’t played since 20 August because of a thigh issue. Another serious cause for concern surrounds the first Clásico of the season, scheduled for Saturday 28 October, just under five weeks away.

If Barça’s worst fears are realised, de Jong could well be forced to miss the visit of Real Madrid to Montjuïc, as well as Champions League group-stage games away to Porto and at home to Shakhtar Donetsk.