Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong has denied reports suggesting that he is refusing to undergo surgery.
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“It’s been a tough process…”
De Jong, 27, has been out of action since April, when he suffered his third ankle injury of the season during Barca’s El Clasico defeat to Real Madrid.
The injury forced him to miss the EURO 2024 with the Netherlands.
Fortunately, De Jong has rejoined the squad for training and is close to returning.
In an interview with Barcelona One, the former Ajax player shared his personal ordeal of recovering from his third ankle surgery.
“It’s been a tough process because playing football is what I love most, it’s been my life,” he said.
“It’s my passion. When you can’t play big games, when you miss the Euros and many games with Barca, it’s really hard, really difficult.”
“Every day you get up, looking at the ankle, seeing how it is. Having three injuries to the same ankle caused me a bit of mental trauma, but I am gradually regaining my confidence to kick the ball hard and go strong into tackles. Hopefully it’s not long now until I am back.”
De Jong denies refusing surgery
Reports have emerged that De Jong refused to undergo surgery on his ankle, yet the club is still paying him around €37 million per year despite being sidelined.
De Jong, who has missed 38 games since the start of the 23-24 campaign due to three ankle injuries, has denied all those stories.
“I understand the frustrations because throughout my recovery I have chosen to stay silent,” De Jong added.
“But then things come out that are not true, like I don’t want surgery, that I earn loads of money, as much as €37m. That’s a very big figure and is a long way off what I really earn.”
“And then people are talking a lot about whether I have to have surgery. It is not true that the club told me I had to have an operation and I didn’t want one.”
Barcelona leads the LaLiga table after eight games despite losing at Osasuna on Saturday.
