I’m not worried about my ankle anymore – De Jong

Frenkie de Jong has admitted that he is no longer worried about his ankle after overcoming the injury plague to claim his spot in Barcelona’s starting lineup.

Frenkie de Jong has won his place in Barcelona’s midfield, displacing Marc Casado from the starting lineup. In recent weeks, head coach Hansi Flick has opted to deploy the Dutchman over the Spaniard in the starting XI, with the former’s hard work finally paying off.

De Jong, plagued by injuries for the majority of his time in Catalunya, insisted that he has put his fitness concerns behind him. “I feel like I’m in great shape now. I’m not worried about my ankle anymore,” he said while talking to ‘Ziggo Sport’.

“When I came back from my long injury, I was still in pain and I wasn’t able to do certain things as well as before, ” he continued. “I knew it would take time, but it was a bit frustrating because you always want to recover and get back on the pitch as quickly as possible.”

The former Ajax star played down the importance that statistics, insisting that they do not define the quality of a player. “Football is all about goals now, but if a player doesn’t score it doesn’t mean that he is not playing well and vice versa,” he insisted.

“I feel that nowadays people only look at statistics to judge a player instead of watching him play. I watch football with my eyes, without basing my judgment on data. Stats can be useful to back your opinion, but they shouldn’t be the only defining factor.

“It’s like if people haven’t watched a match, but see that a player has scored ten goals, then they see him as the best, but if another player didn’t score they don’t appreciate him and put him down,” the Netherlands international concluded.