The Dutch midfielder has been recommended surgery by the club, which would rule him out for the rest of the year, but he has decided to opt for a more conservative treatment thus far. After trying to increase the intensity of his workload last week, de Jong had to again take a step backwards. This week however he returned to working with the group say Sport, completing part of the training session with the other players. He was also joined by Gavi, who for the fourth session in a row worked with the group for some of it.

It remains to be seen when de Jong will return, or if he will indeed be able to avoid surgery. The 27-year-old has not been in action for the last five months, after an injury in April against Real Madrid. While he tried to return for Euro 2024 with the Netherlands, de Jong had to miss out after suffering a relapse.