Barcelona have two reasons to be optimistic about Frenkie de Jong’s conservative treatment

Barcelona have two reasons to be optimistic about Frenkie de Jong’s conservative treatment Barcelona have reason to feel encouraged about Frenkie de Jong’s recovery after the midfielder returned to group training following a knee ligament injury, claims SPORT . Notably, the Dutchman has chosen conservative treatment instead of surgery, and previous cases involving Lionel Messi and Gabriel Jesus offer grounds for cautious optimism. De Jong returned to training with his teammates today with positive feelings as he works towards a return to competitive action at the end of October.  His progress will be closely monitored, with Barcelona hoping the decision to avoid surgery allows him to return without further complications. Frenkie de Jong returns to training after 75 days Barcelona announced in July that De Jong had suffered a rupture of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.  The injury occurred during a Netherlands training session in June, although the initial medical assessment did not consider it serious. The midfielder subsequently played through discomfort before going on holiday.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by FC Barcelona (@fcbarcelona) The full extent of the problem became clear after his return, and 75 days had passed since the club’s official diagnosis when he resumed group training. De Jong opted for conservative treatment despite the uncertainty surrounding the injury.  Indeed, his return to training is an encouraging step, but it does not automatically confirm when he will be available for selection.  Lionel Messi and Gabriel Jesus provide encouraging precedents De Jong is not the first high-profile player to recover from a medial collateral ligament injury without surgery. As per the outlet, Lionel Messi suffered a rupture of the ligament in his left knee in September 2015. The club initially expected him to miss seven or eight weeks. Messi returned to the squad in November, exactly 56 days after the injury. He had already spent more than a week training with the group before that match. Gabriel Jesus provides another relevant example. The Brazilian sustained a medial collateral ligament injury while playing for Manchester City in December 2017.  Frenkie de Jong is back in group training. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images) He indicated that the injury was minor and that surgery would not be required, while Pep Guardiola initially projected an absence of one to two months. Jesus resumed partial group training in early February and took approximately eight weeks to return to competitive action. Barcelona have reasons for optimism These two cases demonstrate that conservative treatment can lead to a return within roughly eight weeks in some cases.  However, recovery timelines depend on the severity of each injury, the player’s response to rehabilitation and the demands of returning to competition. For Barcelona, De Jong’s return to group training is the key development. If he continues to progress without setbacks, the club could soon have an important midfield option back in contention.  His recovery remains a process, though, and Barcelona will be keen to avoid rushing him back before he is ready.