The tension between Barcelona's captain and head coach has surfaced publicly after a process spanning several months. According to Spanish journalist Gerard Romero, who specialises in Barcelona news, Hansi Flick has completely lost trust in Frenkie de Jong. Despite the club doctor saying he had overcome his injury, De Jong did not take the field in order not to risk his World Cup; on top of his frequent injuries, suffering a serious injury at the World Cup itself made matters even worse.
The roots of this crisis stretch back to last season. The breaking point came in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final, when Barcelona were knocked out by Atletico Madrid: Flick had planned to start De Jong in the decisive match after the player was given medical clearance, but the Barcelona captain refused to take the risk, fearing a setback in his physical condition. That disagreement is reported to have caused a serious rupture between the coach and the player, with the relationship described as having become "extremely strained" ever since.
This loss of trust has had concrete consequences for the squad. According to Jijantes, Gavi found more regular playing time in the final weeks of the season, with Flick beginning to place greater trust in the Spain international than in the club captain.
The World Cup injury has further complicated the situation. Barcelona are reported to be angry over De Jong's tournament performance, in which he is alleged to have played through pain relief; the player's injury is estimated to sideline him for around four months, though some sources suggest this could stretch even longer. De Jong, who was expected to report back to Barcelona's training facilities on July 20 but has not yet done so, is reported to want complete clarity over the extent of his injury before deciding on the next step in his career.
The significance of these developments for the future is also considerable. The Dutch midfielder, who joined Barcelona in 2019 and has remained a regular through several managerial changes, is reported to be actively considering ways out of the club following these latest developments.
Source: Gerard Romero
Image: 12up
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