Barcelona captain back in training after missing Alaves clash as a precaution

De Jong was absent against Alaves. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

But much to everyone’s surprise, Hansi Flick opted to leave both De Jong and Fermin Lopez out of the squad list for the trip to Vitoria.

According to the report, the Netherlands international was not injured and stayed behind purely as a precautionary rest measure agreed upon between the player and the club.

Today, he has resumed training normally and is expected to be back in the squad to face Real Betis on Sunday night.

First start in three months beckons?

De Jong has played 37 matches in all competitions for Barcelona this season, recording one goal and eight assists in the process.

De Jong has not started a game since 22 February. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

However, the Dutch midfielder has not started a single game since 22 February, when he played the full 90 minutes against Levante.

De Jong went on to miss more than a month of action due to a hamstring injury, eventually making his return on 11 April against Espanyol.

Since returning from injury, the 29-year-old has played six games, all from the bench, with Pedri and Gavi being Flick’s go-to midfield pairing during this period.

So, it will be interesting to see if De Jong finally gets to start a match this weekend when Barcelona face Betis.