Hansi Flick reveals when injured Barcelona midfielder is likely to return

The Hansi Flick era will officially kick off on Saturday when Barcelona travel to take on Valencia. They'll do so missing a handful of key players.

One of those players is Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong. The former Ajax star injured his ankle last season in El Clasico against Real Madrid.

The prognosis was bad enough that he missed the remainder of the season. He attempted to recover in time in order to play with the Netherlands in EURO 2024. However, he was unable to do so and missed the tournament.

During his press conference before the Valencia match, Flick provided an update and revealed when he expects to be able to count on De Jong, and Ansu Fati, again.

"Yes, we hope to count on them, but not so soon," Flick said. "After the international break in September, we hope to count on more players. We'll have to see how they recover, but there is no concrete date.

With some time left before the end of the transfer window, De Jong's future isn't set in stone despite Flick reportedly asking the club not to sell him. De Jong's contract ends in 2026 and despite Barcelona trying to work on a renewal, De Jong doesn't seem to be in a hurry and there is a concern that he's going to run it down and leave as a free agent.

Barcelona would rather move him on and move him on this window as De Jong is one of the highest earners in the club and removing his salary would provide the Catalan side plenty of relief.

Manchester United is once again eyeing him with Barcelona willing to accept an offer of 60 million euros. If Barcelona are truly desperate to move him on, they may have to accept a lower fee.

De Jong has been hit or miss during his time at Barcelona. He certainly hasn't reached the heights many expected when he signed from Ajax. He's settled well in Barcelona and it will take some convincing to agree to a move away.