Spanish Barcelona has suffered a major blow as its Dutch star Frenkie de Jong faces an injury that will keep him off the pitch for the coming weeks. Barcelona officially announced last night that Frenkie de Jong sustained an injury to the lower part of his right calf muscle during the morning training session. According to Barcelona's statement, medical examinations indicate that de Jong's expected recovery period will range from 5 to 6 weeks. De Jong's injury comes at a crucial stage of the season, given Barcelona's intense competition with Real Madrid in the Spanish La Liga, as well as the 0-4 loss to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the King's Cup semi-final, compounded by an upcoming Champions League match against French Paris Saint-Germain or English Newcastle United. De Jong had recently regained his form and scored his first goal of the season against Levante, prompting German coach Hansi Flick to search for capable replacements. According to the Spanish newspaper 'Sport', there are three names who could potentially fill in for de Jong in the upcoming period. The first is Marc Bernal, whose physical and technical performance has been on the rise, and who also scored a goal in the last match against Levante. Bernal is distinguished by his ability to pass the ball quickly and his physical strength, but Flick is cautious about his playing minutes after a long injury layoff. The second option is Marc Casado, whom the Catalan press describes as 'playing with a big card' and covering wide areas. Casado has not had a significant starting role, playing as a starter only twice when Pedri was absent. Defender Eric Garcia is also among the options; he is a player trusted by Flick in big matches. Although he is a central defender, he has played 6 matches this season as a defensive midfielder. The problem with relying on Garcia in the midfield is the loss of a key element for the team's defense. There are other additional names, such as Tomeu Marquez from the reserve team, who is similar to de Jong in playing style and may get a greater opportunity during the absence.
