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Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong feels that his side will be ready for competitive action in a few weeks' time. The Dutchman, much like rest of the Barcelona squad has returned to training and is happy to be reunited with his colleagues. He was recruited by Barcelona from Ajax last summer and has settled in well at the Nou Camp.
De Jong spent the lockdown period with his family in the Netherlands and revealed that he took measures to keep himself physically fit. Speaking to Spanish outlet Marca, the Barcelona midfielder commented saying he's glad that training has resumed. He began,
"I feel good. I did some training in the Netherlands to get in shape. It's good to be back on the pitch now."
Barcelona were last seen in a competitive fixture on March 7 when they took three points against Real Sociedad at the Nou Camp. Upon being asked when he thinks his side will be ready to compete, the Dutchman said,
"I feel good, but not ready to play right now. But in a few weeks, we'll be ready to play again."
Since that match at the Nou Camp, all Barcelona players were asked to isolate themselves as football came to a standstill. That was until just over a week ago, when the players regrouped at the Joan Gamper to undergo COVID-19 tests. After they were given the green light, Barcelona resumed training strictly under the social distancing guidelines set by the authorities.
Speaking on the team's return to training after an extended period without any football, De Jong remarked,
"We hadn't seen each other for two or three months, which is a long time."
De Jong added that although it's great to be back from a break, they are usually much shorter than the current absences.
"Returning from a holiday or another break is always good and it usually only lasts three or four weeks. This time we're talking about almost three months, so it's really nice to see each other again. I think everyone feels pretty good."
Barcelona's LaLiga hunt set to resume in June
La Liga president Javier Tebas confirmed that the Spanish top-flight aims to resume by the middle of June. However, the restart will be observed closely to adhere to the new set of protocols announced for the clubs. These protocols extend to training sessions as well as match days.
Training protocols include exercising in batches scattered at different times of the day, COVID-19 tests at regular intervals and more.
The Bundesliga successfully completed an entire round of fixtures last weekend and became the first major European league to return since the suspension. Football fans from around the globe tuned in to get an idea of how their experience watching their teams in action would be in empty stadiums.
De Jong revealed that he watched the Bundesliga upon its return and remarked that football just doesn't feel the same behind closed doors. The Barcelona midfield ace remarked,
"I saw Borussia Dortmund against Schalke. I was happy to watch football on TV, but it's clear that you feel different without fans. They produce a special atmosphere and make everything better. Hopefully it will only have to be this season without them so we can enjoy games with them again."
Barcelona still await a further update on the league restart as the league leaders would be raving to get back on to the pitch and win the LaLiga Santander.
