Frenkie de Jong had been expected to be included in Barcelona’s matchday squad for El Clasico on Saturday, although when Xavi Hernandez’s squad was revealed, the Dutchman was revealed to have missed out.
The Dutchman has been out of action since suffering an ankle injury against Celta Vigo last month, although his return to training earlier this week led many people to believe that he would be in contention to play some part in El Clasico, which would have been a major boost for Barcelona.
However, he was not risked, with Sport revealing that the decision was taken because de Jong felt some discomfort on Saturday morning in the ankle that he injured.
🚨 There were no risks taken with De Jong because he had slight discomfort in his ankle this morning. @ferrancorreas
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) October 28, 2023
It is a sensible decision from Barcelona, although they will be gutted not to have de Jong available against Real Madrid. The last thing they would have wanted was an aggravation and more time on the sidelines, but this should not be avoided.
Image via Javier Borrego/ Afp7/Europa Press
