“I had difficult moments” - Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong opens up on 6-month injury spell after featuring in UCL win over Young Boys

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong expressed his delight after returning to the pitch after six months on the sidelines. The Dutch international suffered an ankle injury in April and made his return in the club's emphatic 5-0 home victory over Swiss side Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, October 1.

The La Liga giants secured their first Champions League win of the season in style after losing 2-1 to Monaco in their first game. Robert Lewandowski scored a brace (8', 51'), and goals from Raphina (34') and Inigo Martinez (37'), along with an own goal by Young Boys' Mohamed Camara (81'), ensured the victory for Hansi Flick's side.

De Jong replaced teenage sensation Lamine Yamal in the 75th minute and was welcomed onto the pitch with resounding applause from the fans. After the match, the 27-year-old expressed his delight at being back and thanked the fans for their support.

"It's the best feeling to be back on the pitch. I want to thank the fans for their applause. It feels really good. I didn't expect it. I'm very happy," De Jong said (via Fabrizio Romano on X).

He further disclosed that being out for the past couple of months came with difficult moments:

"When you get injured it's always complicated. The process was long, I had difficult moments," the Barcelona star added.

De Jong will be hoping to slowly reintegrate into the team and gather full match fitness after a long period on the sidelines. Barcelona have enjoyed a good start to the campaign under Flick and the Dutchman could be a key player in his setup for the long season ahead.

How did Frenkie de Jong perform in Barcelona's Champions League victory over Young Boys?

The Dutch midfilder suffred an ankle injury in April after a clash with Real Madrid's Federico Valverde. Since then he had not featured for Barcelona, but made his long-awaited return in their Champions League clash with Young Boys.

Coming on in the 75th minute, De Jong had about 18 minutes of action (additional time included) and gave a decent display. He looked calm, composed and confident on the ball, recording an 89 percent passing accuracy, misplacing just two of his 19 passes.

De Jong's return is a huge boost to Barcelona as manager Hansi Flick now has more options to choose from in the midfiled admist thier current injury struggles.