De Jong can draw support from Van der Vaart's words after Barcelona return

De Jong made his return from injury in Barcelona's El Clásico loss to Real Madrid, expressing frustration at the defeat but confidence he will soon reclaim a starting spot.

Frenkie de Jong returned to action for Barcelona after months sidelined by injury, featuring in the club's 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid in El Clásico. The midfielder was disappointed with the result and Barcelona's performance, telling Ziggo Sport: "It's nice that you get your first minutes, but when you lose the match like that, you have a bad feeling. I thought we didn't play our best football overall. We were sloppier than usual and they have players up front with a lot of speed and quality."

Barcelona had been unbeaten this season before suffering back-to-back defeats to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and Real Madrid. De Jong remains focused on building match fitness and earning a regular starting role. "I'm ready for it and feel good," he said. "Now it's a matter of playing longer each time. I need to make sure I'm back in the starting lineup as quickly as possible."

Analyst Rafael van der Vaart backed De Jong to secure a starting berth soon, noting that midfield partner Pedri had a poor game and others were sloppy. "De Jong doesn't need to be afraid of the competition," van der Vaart said. "Those chances will come."