Barcelona were dealt with a bitter pill to swallow on Thursday afternoon, after Frenkie de Jong went down injured in training. Less than a week after Pedri returned to action following a hamstring injury, his starting partner at the base of Hansi Flick’s midfield has also been rueld out with a hamstring tear.

The news broke on Thursday afternoon, with de Jong going down in training. Initial concern believed it to be a hamstring tear that would keep him out for three to four weeks, and likely a total of seven games. De Jong’s absence could be closer to double that time out though.

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De Jong injury confirmed by Barcelona

After conducting tests, Barcelona have now confirmed an injury to de Jong, and announced that he will be out for a total of five to six weeks. It means that his earliest return date will be after the March international break. Barcelona travel to the Metropolitano to face Atletico Madrid on the 4th or 5th of April, a game de Jong could be back for, although he may be more likely to return for a potential Champions League quarter-final first leg the following week, or the Catalan derby against Espanyol on the 11th or 12th.

It confirms that he will miss both legs of the Champions League Round of 16 against one of Paris Saint-Germain or Newcastle United, and the return leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final next week against Atletico.

Hansi Flick will reshuffle midfield

It may well accelerate the return to the starting line-up of Pedri Gonzalez, but the question will be who accompanies him in big games going forward. Hansi Flick has been hesitant to use Marc Bernal, the most natural replacement for de Jong, in big games, while Marc Casado has struggled for form. At times, Flick has pushed Eric Garcia into midfield, or dropped Dani Olmo into a deeper role. Gavi is also due to return from injury in the coming weeks, but likely to be eased back in slowly.