Barcelona confirm the injuries to Pedri and Frenkie de Jong
Both midfielders were injured in the match against Athletic Bilbao
Barcelona missed their opportunity to cement themselves in the chase for the league title when they drew 0-0 against Athletic Bilbao over the weekend.
However, all things considered, that was probably the least of their concerns following the whistle at the end of the match.
Frenkie de Jong and Pedri were forced out of the game after suffering an injury with the first sensations being negative.
On Monday, the club confirmed the injuries for both midfielders.
"Tests carried out have confirmed that first team player Frenkie de Jong has a lateral ligament sprain in his right ankle. He is unavailable for selection and his recovery will determine his availability," the club's statement read.
"Furthermore. tests carried out have confirmed that first team player Pedri has an injury to the rectus femoris muscle in his right thigh. He is unavailable for selection and his recovery will determine his eligibility."
For De Jong, it's another injury to his ankle, though different ligament, that he suffered earlier in the season that kept him out for two months. In Pedri's case, it's an injury to the same leg that kep him sidelined for 16 games.
🚑 Parte médico.
— Helena Condis Edo (@HelenaCondis) March 4, 2024
Pedri: lesión muscular recto femoral pierna derecha. Misma pierna por la que ha causado baja 16 partidos esta temporada.
De Jong: esguince ligamento lateral externo tobillo derecho. Mismo tobillo -diferente ligamento- por el que estuvo 2meses fuera este curso.
It goes without saying that neither of them will be available for the Champions League round of 16 match against Napoli.
While Barcelona have not given a timetable for their possible return, Sport's Toni Juanmartà reports that De Jong will likely be out 4-5 weeks with a possible return against Las Palmas on March 30 if the recovery goes smoothly. Even then it's in the best case scenario.
No such timetable was given for Pedri who has dealt with injury after injury since making his Barcelona debut a couple of seasons ago. Whenever Barcelona has given an update during his recovery, there has always been some kind of relapse or delay. Therefore it's unlikely they'll set anything in stone and simply wait and see how well he recovers.
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Suffice to say nothing is being ruled out. Everything is going to depend how things go for Barcelona in the next month a two. If they manage to get back in the hunt for LaLiga and manage to advance to the Champions League quarterfinals, perhaps we'll see Pedri again this season. If everything unravels, then shutting him down for the rest of the season may not be out of the question.