According to Diario Sport, De Jong worked individually on Tuesday under the supervision of Barcelona’s medical staff. The test consisted of controlled running and simple exercises without contact. Even that limited workload proved too demanding for him to move on to the next stage of his recovery.

The Dutchman is still unable to train with the squad. Barcelona have not set a return date or decided when his workload can be increased. His programme will continue to depend on the knee’s daily response, and the latest response was not encouraging.

De Jong tore the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during the World Cup. He initially continued playing after being advised that the injury was not serious and would not become worse. The full extent of the damage was discovered when he returned to Barcelona for further examinations.

The midfielder chose conservative treatment instead of surgery. Barcelona accepted that decision while keeping his recovery under close observation. Tuesday’s setback does not automatically mean that an operation will now be required, but it confirms that a return to full training is not close.

The latest update was published by Goal España, citing Diario Sport. Barcelona have not released a new medical statement. The ligament tear and decision to avoid surgery were previously reported by Reuters and Cadena SER.

De Jong’s absence was one of the reasons Barcelona pushed hard to reinforce their midfield this summer. Rodri has now joined the squad, but the Dutchman’s condition remains both a sporting and financial concern. One of the club’s highest earners still has no return date and cannot yet complete a controlled running session without pain.

The test was supposed to represent a small step towards rejoining the team. It ended at the first serious braking point. Barcelona are back to waiting and hoping that the decision to avoid surgery eventually produces the expected result.

Gavi suffered the knock during Barcelona’s 5–0 victory over Elche. Late in the first half, he challenged for the ball inside the hosts’ penalty area and collided with an opponent. He initially attempted to continue but the pain remained. After being assessed by club doctor Ricard Pruna, he asked to come off and was replaced by Pedri in the 44th minute.

The sight of Gavi leaving the pitch was enough to make the scoreline temporarily irrelevant. It was the same right knee that had already caused him serious problems. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament and damaged his meniscus in November 2023 before undergoing another operation on the same knee in September 2025.

The first indications after the match were reassuring. Hansi Flick said the problem appeared less serious than initially feared, while Gavi remained with his teammates and watched the closing stages from the bench.

Barcelona delivered the official diagnosis on Monday. Medical tests confirmed a bruise to the right knee, with no serious damage detected. The club expects the midfielder to rejoin training within a short period.

No exact return date has been announced and Barcelona have not confirmed whether Gavi will be available for the next match. That will depend on how quickly the pain and swelling disappear. Considering his medical history, the club are unlikely to take any unnecessary risks.

This time, the medical statement did not contain a recovery period measured in months, another surgical procedure or a warning about further tests. There is a bruise and an expected quick return. When Gavi’s right knee is involved, that almost qualifies as the luxury outcome.

Barcelona won 5–0 in Elche, but the best news connected to the match arrived the following morning. Gavi frightened everyone with his knee again. Fortunately, frightening them was all he did.

Source: Cadena SER – Gavi’s official diagnosis following medical tests

The first update is encouraging. According to Cadena SER journalist Santi Ovalle, the initial examinations have not indicated a serious injury. That is not yet a confirmed diagnosis or an official Barcelona medical statement, but it is the first genuinely positive development since the midfielder limped off at the Martínez Valero.

Gavi was hurt late in the first half following a collision while attempting to recover possession. He initially tried to continue but soon sat down on the pitch and was replaced by Pedri. The sight of him leaving in obvious discomfort immediately revived the worst memories.

The concern is understandable. Gavi tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in November 2023 and later required further treatment for a meniscus problem. He was only cleared to return in March 2026. With that medical history, even a relatively ordinary knock is capable of setting off every alarm in Barcelona.

Hansi Flick confirmed after the match that the issue involved the knee, although he also offered a more encouraging update. The coach said Gavi was feeling significantly better after the final whistle than he had when the injury occurred. He also confirmed that the midfielder would undergo an MRI scan.

That examination will determine whether Gavi needs time on the sidelines. No decision has yet been made regarding his availability for the upcoming match against Athletic Club.

Barcelona can therefore breathe a little more easily, but the case is not closed. The initial assessment has pushed the worst-case scenario further away. Now the club must wait for the MRI — an institution traditionally less influenced by optimism than a post-match press conference.

Sources: VAVEL – Santi Ovalle’s report on the initial tests · Barca Blaugranes – Hansi Flick’s update · FC Barcelona – official Elche match page

Officially, De Jong’s relationship with Hansi Flick remains excellent. Given everything else happening around the player, that claim is starting to sound less like a description and more like a compulsory disclaimer attached to every new development.

Cadena SER have now offered fresh details behind the coach’s decision. Journalist Santi Ovalle believes De Jong’s omission from the captaincy group should be interpreted as a warning. Not because the player decided against surgery, as he had every right to choose conservative treatment, but because of the way he reportedly handled the injury.

De Jong suffered damage to the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during the World Cup. According to Cadena SER, he played three matches despite feeling discomfort. He then went on holiday after the tournament and did not undergo a complete examination in Barcelona until he returned. The tests showed that the injury was more serious than initially believed and would keep him out for around four months.

The midfielder has explained that the Dutch national team’s medical staff had consistently described the problem as considerably less serious. He did not present his actions as a conscious decision to risk his health. Barcelona, however, are reported to have been unhappy with how late the full extent of the injury became clear.

The first visible signal was De Jong travelling with the team during preseason despite being unable to train. Another followed when Flick selected Raphinha, Eric García and Pedri as provisional captains. De Jong, who appeared to be a natural candidate following the departures of Marc-André ter Stegen and Ronald Araújo, was not included.

It must be stressed that the decision is not final. Flick explained that the captains had only been appointed temporarily because the squad could still change. The players are expected to vote after the transfer window closes. De Jong has therefore not been formally stripped of the role for the entire season, but the armband belongs to somebody else for now.

“Frenkie is not available at the moment, so I have decided on provisional captains until we hold the vote,” Flick explained. The coach also insisted that he values De Jong highly, speaks to him regularly and continues to regard him as an important member of the squad.

Then came the Joan Gamper Trophy. When De Jong’s name was announced during the team presentation, sections of the crowd responded with whistles. The midfielder briefly applauded the supporters before joining his teammates. A few moments later, Rodri received the loudest ovation of the evening.

It was difficult to imagine a more graphic illustration of the current situation. De Jong stood injured and without the armband while listening to the crowd’s dissatisfaction. Rodri walked onto the pitch as a Barcelona player for the first time and was welcomed like the man expected to take control of the midfield.

The Spanish international’s arrival does not automatically mean De Jong has been discarded. Rodri can play alongside him, and Flick regularly uses systems containing several central midfielders. It does mean that when De Jong recovers, he will have to reclaim his place in a team that will have spent several months learning to function without him.

His contract runs until 2030, so Barcelona are under no immediate pressure to sell. The current questions concern trust, his standing inside the dressing room and the coach’s response to decisions made away from the pitch.

The distinction remains important. Flick has not publicly said that he removed De Jong from the captaincy group as a punishment. That interpretation comes from Cadena SER and information concerning the coach’s reported dissatisfaction with the management of the injury. The official explanation is that the captaincy arrangement is temporary and that Flick’s relationship with the player remains excellent.

Barcelona can therefore insist that everything is fine while leaving De Jong out of the captaincy group and signing one of the world’s best midfielders for his position. The Dutchman must now focus calmly on his recovery. The club have made sure he will not be short of things to think about while doing it.

Sources: Cadena SER – the reported warning from Flick · Cadena SER – Barcelona’s provisional captains · Cadena SER – whistles during the presentation

This is the first concrete update since Barça confirmed the injury on Tuesday. The club have not provided a recovery timeline, so any estimate over when Bardghji might return would be speculation at this stage. His rehabilitation process now begins.

The circumstances remain painfully ironic for Barcelona. Bardghji was one of the players whose summer future was still being managed carefully, partly to avoid exactly this kind of setback. That plan ended in the worst possible way. At least tonight, there is finally one piece of positive news: the operation went as planned.

Casadó’s situation is particularly striking. The midfielder was given opportunities by Hansi Flick not long ago, but his future is now expected to lie away from Barcelona. Fort finds himself in a similar position. Instead of preparing them normally for the new season, Barça’s priority appears to be getting both players safely to the end of the transfer window.

SER also reports that Tommy Marques, Jofre Torrents, Toni Fernández and Guille Fernández were outside the normal first-team group, with decisions still to be made over their futures. Barça’s summer selection process has become rather literal: some players are preparing for the season, while others are being protected for the exit door.

Barcelona have spent years talking about their commitment to youth. Apparently there is another stage to the famous pathway now: develop them, promote them, put a price on them — and then make sure nobody pulls a muscle before the buyer arrives.

It is the same knee Bardghji injured in 2024. That setback required surgery and kept him out for almost a year. The Sweden international suffered his latest injury during the final part of Monday’s training session and reportedly left the pitch in tears.

The injury has also brought all discussions over his departure to an immediate halt. Barça left Bardghji out of the squad for the tournament in Udine and had been exploring either a loan or a permanent transfer with a buy-back clause. Several clubs were believed to be interested.

Barcelona started the day looking for a club that could offer Bardghji more playing time. Hours later, they were preparing for another long rehabilitation. Every transfer plan became irrelevant in an instant. The only priority now is the player’s health and another painfully difficult comeback.

Reports have raised the possibility of ligament damage, but there is currently no confirmed diagnosis or recovery timeline. The concern is understandable because Bardghji tore his ACL while training with Copenhagen in 2024 and spent almost a year on the sidelines. That history makes the situation more worrying, but it does not prove he has suffered the same injury again.

The setback comes just as Barça were working on his departure. Bardghji was left out of the squad for the tournament in Udine, with a loan or a permanent transfer including a buy-back option reportedly under consideration. Barcelona had already pointed him towards the exit. Now the entire strategy has been reduced to four familiar words: wait for the test results.

According to Sergi de Juan of AS, both players took part in the behind-closed-doors friendly that concluded Barcelona’s training camp in England. The signs were positive, meaning they could now play against Udinese and Nottingham Forest. The tournament consists of two 45-minute matches — more than enough time for Barça to announce a complete return to form.

Araújo did not play a single minute at the World Cup because of his physical problems. Raphinha is also working his way back, while Jesse Bisiwu could make his unofficial Barcelona debut in Udine. Interestingly, Barça last competed in a similar summer tournament back in 2001.

If Raphinha and Araújo survive their 45 minutes, the club will be able to present their return as a major success of the transfer window. At Barcelona, the cheapest way to strengthen the squad remains recovering players who are already on the payroll.

Araújo’s condition will naturally attract the most attention. The Uruguayan gives Flick pace, strength and aggression in defence, but lately his biggest opponent has been the struggle to play consistently. Receiving medical clearance is an important step, although competitive matches will decide how long that green light stays on. Barça can breathe more easily for now — preferably without making any sudden movements.

The returns of Raphinha and Fermín also give Flick more options in attack and midfield. Both are expected to train normally, although being injury-free does not automatically mean being ready for 90 minutes at full intensity. Flick has three important players back, while the club has recovered its favourite source of summer energy: optimism produced before the first serious match has even begun.

“AS” reports that Flick considers the England camp one of the best preseason experiences of his coaching career. Barça therefore return to Catalonia healthier, calmer and convinced that everything is moving in the right direction. There is only one small detail left: proving it on the pitch, where medical updates are not worth any points.