Ronald Koeman, the current Netherlands coach and former Barcelona manager, has repeatedly voiced concerns about Frenkie de Jong's physical condition over the past few months. 

During the summer, Koeman highlighted the seriousness of the midfielder’s injury, and although de Jong has returned to action with Barcelona, the Dutch coach emphasized that he is still not in peak condition. "I spoke with him on the phone last week, and with all due respect, he's still far from where he needs to be. He played a little and already got scared. It was tough for him," Koeman said.

Barcelona has been carefully managing Frenkie de Jong’s recovery, attempting to avoid surgery for his ankle issue. The club’s plan has been to gradually increase his playing time in the coming games so that he could be at full strength for crucial matches against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. 

However, Koeman is not as optimistic about this approach, stating that the player still needs time to fully regain his rhythm: "Frenkie needs to find his rhythm and be one hundred percent fit, and I think he's not there yet," Koeman remarked, recalling that Barcelona pushed de Jong too hard last season, leading to a more serious injury.

Koeman also made it clear that de Jong is not ready to be called up for the Netherlands national team. While he intends to count on him in the future, Koeman stressed that the priority should be for the player to recover fully to avoid any setbacks. The Dutch coach hopes Barcelona doesn’t repeat the same mistake as last year, which worsened the player’s condition.

Frenkie de Jong’s ankle problems started last season but intensified in April, after playing in El Clásico against Real Madrid. The Dutch midfielder decided to stop completely, missing out on the Euro Cup and also sitting out Barcelona's preseason. Although he has recently received medical clearance, concerns about the fragility of his ankle suggest that he may not play a significant role until November at the earliest.

De Jong is a key player for Barcelona's coach, Hansi Flick. The German coach explicitly requested that Barcelona not sell de Jong in the last summer transfer window, as he sees him as a crucial part of the team’s midfield. Flick is also pushing for the player to extend his contract, though no agreement has been reached so far.