Just in: Star midfielder returns to Barcelona after back discomfort

Just in: Star midfielder returns to Barcelona after back discomfort Barcelona’s misfortunes with injuries in this crucial part of the season look to have continued, with Frenkie de Jong being a potential new casualty. The Dutchman picked up back discomfort while participating in the Netherlands’ UEFA Nations League fixture against Greece. He has now returned to Barcelona, with the Netherlands camp taking no risks with the midfielder’s fitness. De Jong returns to Barcelona The Netherlands FA confirmed de Jong has been experiencing minor discomfort in a statement on Saturday afternoon. The midfielder, therefore, is set to miss the next UEFA Nations League encounter against Germany and has returned to Barcelona, reports El Correo . This is quite the blow for de Jong, whose struggles in maintaining his fitness for the Dutch national team continues. De Jong was serving as the captain in the absence of Virgil van Dijk. And although Xavi Hernandez’s men did secure a thumping 7-0 victory, de Jong was taken off at halftime due to precaution. Is it a serious injury? Frenkie de Jong’s misfortunes with injuries continue. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) In the post-match interaction, Xavi tried to douse rumors about de Jong picking up yet another major injury by stating that it was a minor discomfort and that the substitution was merely a precaution. The midfielder himself had asked to be subbed off. This is good news for Barcleona, with even RAC1 (h/t FCB World ) claiming that the midfielder has not picked up any fresh injury. He has minor discomfort in his back muscles and is expected to be out for about a week, which is quite interesting given that Barcelona are slated to face Villarreal in their next match on Sunday. Whether or not de Jong will be available for that game remains to be seen, though it is likely that Barcelona themselves would like to take precaution. It must be noted that Barcelona already have Rodri out injured due to an injury. That will leave Hansi Flick with Marc Bernal and Pedri as the only available midfield pairing vs Villarreal, unless the coach decides to start with Gavi.