Frenkie De Jong Speaks On Fitness, Training And FC Barcelona’s Readiness To Return To Action

In a short interview with MARCA, midfielder Frenkie de Jong has spoken on a range of topics such as his fitness, training and the readiness of his team FC Barcelona to resume play after the pause imposed on professional soccer by the coronavirus pandemic.

Of seeing his colleagues again after all club activity was put on hold on March 13, the young Dutchman said: “We haven’t seen each other for two or three months, which is a long time. Normally, when there are vacations or some other pause, the return is always good. And it usually only lasts three or four weeks. Now we are talking about almost three months.

“It was really nice to see each other again. I missed the training sessions, my teammates, playing a little football … [And] also the rondos, which are a really nice part of the training sessions,” De Jong went on. “I think it was positive to train first individually, so that everyone could assess their own intensity a bit and assess how it felt physically before starting training with the group. And I think that everyone felt pretty good. It was a good pre-step.”

Regarding his own physical condition, De Jong insisted that he feels “fine” and “good”. “I did some training in Holland to arrive well,” he admitted. “It’s good to get back on the grass. I feel pretty good, although not [well enough] to face a game right now, but there are still a few weeks of training left. First we worked individually, now [we are working] with small groups and I hope that soon [we will train] with the whole team. In a few weeks we will be ready to play again,” vowed De Jong.

Asked if he had tuned into any Bundesliga games, with Germany’s top flight the first in Europe to come back last weekend, De Jong revealed that he had watched Barcelona’s Champions League Group F rivals Borussia Dortmund in action against Schalke 04.

“I was happy to watch football on television, but it is evident that you feel different [about it] without the fans,” pointed out the former Ajax man. “They produce a special atmosphere and everything is better with fans. But now we will have to play without [them]. We hope that it will only be [for] this season and that they will be able to return to the stadium soon, so we can enjoy the games with them.”

Thanking medical workers for their handling of the COVID-19 crisis, De Jong finished by saying that he thinks “we are all very grateful to the healthcare staff, as these professionals are heroes every day, but especially now, as they fight this virus, as we [are all doing]”. “My respect for them is truly enormous,” he concluded.