Frenkie de Jong has returned to training with Barcelona after a knee injury and is hoping to make his first appearance of the season for the club shortly.
According to Cadena SER, De Jong could even feature in a different position when he is available again. A new report claims De Jong has been tested in central defence since returning to full training with his team-mates.
There seem to be two reasons for De Jong playing a different role on the training ground. The first is that he’s seen as a “feasible
option” to play in central defence due to the amount of quality midfielders in the squad.
Hansi Flick was actually asked about De Jong as a defender in his pre-match press conference before the win over Getafe and said: “We have several options in that position, and Frenkie de Jong is also capable of playing there.”
Obviously De Jong usually plays in central midfield for club and country, but he has played at center-back previously for Barcelona.
The second reason for trying out De Jong in defence is due to the fact Barca are handling the Dutchman with care after his lengthy lay-off.
The report adds that Barca believe playing in central midfield requires a lot of twisting and turning which could put more pressure on his knee and could cause an issue.
De Jong is not in the squad for Tuesday’s Champions League tie at Galatasaray, but Flick has said he could be available for Saturday’s La Liga match at Real Betis.
