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Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has reportedly cut short his mid-season vacation to return to Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper ahead of the resumption of club football.
La Liga, like all major leagues in Europe, paused in mid-November for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. With Argentina crowned as champions on 18 December, the stage is set for club football to resume.
De Jong was one of 16 Barcelona players to represent their respective countries at the World Cup. The Netherlands, however, exited the competition in the quarter-finals after a penalty shootout loss against Argentina.
The Dutchman played in all five of his side's World Cup matches, scoring and assisting one goal each. The former Ajax midfielder, like his teammates, was afforded time away to recover ahead of the second half of the season.
As per SPORT (h/t BarcaUniversal), De Jong has cut short his vacation to commence training with the Catalan giants on Tuesday (20 December). He seems to be taking the extra steps to force himself up the pecking order at Camp Nou.
Manager Xavi Hernandez has shown his preference to start the Spanish trio of Gavi, Pedri, and Sergio Busquets in his midfield three. De Jong also has to compete with Franck Kessie and Pablo Torre for playing time.
The Dutchman, once a regular fixture in Barca's starting XI, has started in just 11 out of a possible 20 matches across competitions this season. He was notably linked with a move to Manchester United this summer but turned down a move to stay with the Blaugrana.
His international teammate, Memphis Depay, is expected to rejoin Barcelona's training sessions on Wednesday (21 December). Ousmane Dembele and Jules Kounde, however, are still on vacation after featuring for France in the final.
Barcelona will resume their season with a Catalan derby against Espanyol on 31 December.
Barcelona midfielder was dejected after FIFA World Cup exit
The Netherlands fought incredibly hard to recover from a 2-0 deficit and take their quarter-final tie against Argentina to extra time but it wasn't meant to be. Emiliano Martinez's saves from Steven Berghuis and Virgil van Dijk in the subsequent penalty shootout proved to be decisive as the Dutch were dumped out of the competition.
Speaking after the heartbreak against La Albiceleste, De Jong said, as quoted by NOS (h/t Mirror) :
"I was convinced this was our World Cup. It wasn't meant to be. Looking back on my own tournament, I feel down. I was convinced we could win this tournament."
De Jong still has a long way to go in his career and is likely to make the Oranje's squad if they qualify for the 2026 World Cup in North America.
