Anticipated return: will De Jong make the Clásico?
Frenkie de Jong is nearing a return to full team training with Barcelona. He is expected to begin work with the non-international players on 5 October, before joining the group that includes the internationals on 8 October.
A packed schedule awaits Barcelona and Hansi Flick's side, who began the season at full pace. De Jong will have to regain his competitive rhythm and build up the necessary physical strength before the coach gives him the green light to return to matches.
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The 29-year-old Netherlands international is entering the final phase of the conservative treatment he chose to deal with the tear of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee, the injury he sustained during the World Cup.
But returning to training with his teammates a week from now does not mean his return to matches is close. Expect the opposite. He is likely to need an additional two or three weeks of preparation before Flick decides the time is right, provided no pain appears and there is no relapse.
The run of important matches facing Barcelona leaves little room for De Jong to train for long periods with his teammates at a high rhythm, which may affect the timing of his return, according to the Catalan newspaper "Mundo Deportivo".
His situation for the Clásico
De Jong will logically continue to work alone at Barcelona before starting to train with his teammates on Thursday 15 October, after the team returns from facing Galatasaray in Istanbul in the Champions League.
Barcelona play the first Clásico of this season against Real Madrid on Sunday 25 October. The Catalan side's technical staff believe De Jong's participation before that match appears difficult. His name may make the matchday squad, but his actual involvement remains unclear, unless an injury to one of the players prompts the coach to call on him, according to "Mundo Deportivo".
The match against Alavés on 1 November looks a more realistic date for his return. A full week separates that fixture from the Real Madrid game, with no other match in between, giving the Dutchman the chance to train daily with his teammates, free of travel or recovery sessions that might interrupt his rhythm.
