€60m Barcelona player ends 2024 with all-time low prominence | OneFootball

FC Barcelona said their farewell to 2024 with a defeat to Atletico Madrid, which cost them their position at the top of the league table. In fact, the Blaugranes are currently standing third in the La Liga rankings, behind Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.

The Catalans ended this year without adding any major trophy to their cabinet, but there is no doubt that the team has seen its performances improve significantly since the arrival of Hansi Flick.

However, some players continue to struggle, and one player who has ended the year on a particularly sour note is the midfielder, Frenkie de Jong.

The Dutchman has not had a year to remember, as he had to spend a significant part of it on the sidelines with an ankle injury. However, he was also not performing at a level that is expected of a player of his stature before or after this injury.

As Mundo Deportivo has noted, his status in the team has declined so sharply recently that he did not even play a single minute in the last two games of the year, against Leganes and Atletico Madrid.

His absence against Atletico Madrid was particularly conspicuous, as Hansi Flick decided to bring on a makeshift midfield pivot, Eric Garcia, instead of Frenkie when he decided to sub out Marc Casado in that game.

Before his injury in April, Frenkie de Jong was one of the most regular starters for Xavi Hernandez. Even after Xavi’s departure, few people would have had any doubts that the Dutchman would once again be a starter under Flick once he recovered from his injury.

However, the €60 million-rated midfielder has played only 362 minutes since he returned to the pitch in October, and the last time he made a notable action on the pitch was to concede a penalty as he stepped on Vitor Roque’s toe in the game against Real Betis.

He then played another 19 inconspicuous minutes against Borussia Dortmund in the UCL, but overall, there is no doubt that this has been one of the most forgettable seasons for Frenkie in his career and he will have to improve his performances significantly in 2025 to remain at Barcelona.