Barcelona secured an important victory over Deportivo Alaves last Saturday. Among the many positives for the club that night was the performance of Frenkie de Jong.
The Dutchman, making his first start of the season in central defence, looked rock solid and hardly put a foot wrong.
Barcelona's midfield has developed a clear hierarchy this season, but De Jong's return could soon shake things up.
The 29-year-old is slowly regaining his rhythm after a long injury lay-off, and it won't be long before he wants to play in his preferred position.
According to El Pais , De Jong poses a challenge not just to the hierarchy Hansi Flick has set but also to the club's internal considerations.
The Barcelona board were unhappy with how the midfielder handled his injury during the 2026 World Cup.
The Dutch midfield maestro has gradually started getting minutes after spending the opening months of the season on the sidelines.
He played in midfield against Real Madrid at the Camp Nou and looked quite sharp before shifting to centre-back against Alaves .
De Jong participated in Monday's training session but is said to have trained with the substitutes ahead of the Aston Villa clash.
Frenkie de Jong and Rodri could form a partnership in midfield. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Barcelona's midfield already has options like Pedri, Rodri, Gavi, Marc Bernal and Fermin Lopez, and adding De Jong to the mix makes the competition even fiercer.
Frenkie's quality means he is likely to push the likes of Bernal and Gavi further down the pecking order and fight for a starting berth with Pedri and Rodri.
The real question is what happens when De Jong's performances become too convincing to overlook.
His composure under pressure, ball progression and ability to control possession remain valuable qualities, particularly in matches where Barcelona struggle to dictate the tempo.
In fact, there is a case to be made that Barcelona's best midfield in big games could be a combination of Pedri, Rodri and De Jong.
Hansi Flick now has to find a way to fit De Jong into his plans. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Whatever the club's stance was on his injury back in the summer, he has now recovered and is one of the team's captains.
His willingness to play as a centre-back has opened up another avenue through which the Dutchman could get minutes.
The onus is now on Hansi Flick to ensure he distributes minutes among his midfielders well enough to keep everyone happy.
It remains to be seen whether the Dutchman gets a chance to play against Aston Villa and where Flick uses him during the game.
