Barcelona midfield superstar has recovered from illness ahead of Real Betis clash

Frenkie de Jong was a surprise absence from the squad list for FC Barcelona earlier this week when they took on Atletico Madrid at the Spotify Camp Nou.

Having missed the Deportivo Alaves clash due to personal reasons, the Dutchman was tipped to start against Los Rojiblancos, but was left out of the squad as he was suffering from a fever.

De Jong has recovered

Now, according to journalist Javi Miguel of AS, De Jong has recovered from his fever and is currently at Barcelona’s Ciutat Esportiva training facilities.

This is a positive development for the Blaugrana as they get set to take on Real Betis away from home on Saturday.

Considering that Dani Olmo has been ruled out with injury and Fermin Lopez is also recovering from a blow, depth in the midfield department becomes critical for Barcelona, who are already without Gavi.

De Jong’s potential availability for the trip to Seville, therefore, comes as a timely boost as it provides manager Hansi Flick with added options.

Frenkie has not played in Barcelona’s last two games (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Should he be declared fit to play, the Netherlands international will very likely partner up with Pedri in the double pivot against Manuel Pellegrini’s team on the weekend.

Alternatively, Flick could consider the possibility of pushing Pedri into the attacking midfield role in Olmo and Fermin’s absence, while pairing De Jong with Eric Garcia or Marc Casado in the deeper positions, although that seems quite unlikely.

The likely route would be that Flick uses Raphinha as the No. 10 against Real Betis, while using one of Ferran Torres or Marcus Rashford on the left flank.

Irrespective of that, De Jong’s recovery from the fever and presence at the training facilities today is a positive development for Barcelona, especially with the hugely important UCL clash against Eintracht Frankfurt coming up next week.