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• De Jong doubted ankle injury would heal ahead of Netherlands return

  Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong doubted whether his troublesome ankle injury would ever go away but is now looking forward to resuming his international career after a pause of more than a year.

  De Jong spent almost six months on the sidelines before returning for Hansi Flick's LaLiga leaders last month, but he has not represented the Netherlands since September 2023.

  A series of ankle issues prevented him from featuring in the majority of the Oranje's Euro 2024 qualifiers and caused him to miss the final tournament in Germany, where they went out in the semi-finals to England.  

  He will likely get playing time in the Nations League on Saturday when Ronald Koeman's team host Hungary in Amsterdam in their penultimate Group A3 match.

  "Did I wonder whether I would ever fully recover? That crossed my mind sometimes, but I always had the confidence that I would eventually be able to play football again," De Jong told reporters on Wednesday.

  "There was uncertainty about how long it would take and whether my ankle would be completely the same as it was before."

  The 27-year-old said the hardest part was missing this year's European Championships, as a late Ollie Watkins goal dashed the Netherlands' dreams of repeating their Euro 1988 triumph.

  "That was tough. I watched all the matches of the Dutch national team but not much of the rest. I did not want to be confronted with it every time," De Jong said.

  He was taken off on Sunday when Barcelona lost at Real Sociedad in LaLiga, but fears he would miss out for the Netherlands again were later abated.

  "I first got a blow on the muscle next to my shin and then another kick, but it was nothing to do with my knee or ankle," he said. 

  "I knew it was not a serious injury, but it did bother me a lot."

• Injured Barcelona star Yamal withdraws from Spain squad

  Spain will be without star winger Lamine Yamal for their upcoming Nations League games against Denmark and Switzerland.

  Yamal starred for La Roja at Euro 2024 and has been exceptional for Barcelona so far this season.

  The teenager has already provided a LaLiga-leading seven assists this term, while his 12 goal contributions rank joint-third in Spain's top tier, behind club-mates Robert Lewandowski (16) and Raphinha (13).

  Yamal has also attempted (84) and completed (34) more dribbles than any other player in LaLiga in 2024-25, while Barca's two league defeats have come in matches in which the attacker did not start; a 4-2 loss at Osasuna in September, and a 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad on Sunday.

  Indeed, injured Yamal was left out of Hansi Flick's squad against La Real, and Spain have now called up Bryan Gil in his place, and Barcelona confirmed on Monday that the 17-year-old has suffered a grade one high ankle sprain, and will be out of action for up to three weeks.

  Luis de la Fuente's team are top of their Nations League group, with 10 points from their four matches.

  La Roja face Denmark on Friday before hosting Switzerland on November 18. 

  Should Spain collect one more win from their final two matches of 2024, then they will set a new national record for the number of victories in all competitions in a single calendar year. surpassing the 10 they managed in 2009.

  Barca also confirmed that Lewandowski will need 10 days out of action after suffering a back injury, meaning he will sit out Poland's matches against Portugal and Scotland.

• Flick offers no excuses after Barcelona deservedly beaten

  Hansi Flick did not offer any excuses after Barcelona's poor performance in their shock 1-0 defeat away to Real Sociedad on Sunday evening.

  Sheraldo Becker scored the only goal for the hosts in the first half, with Barca offering little while searching for a comeback. 

  The defeat ended Barcelona's run of seven straight victories in all competitions, although they remain six points ahead of Real Madrid – who have a game in hand – at the top of LaLiga.

  "Today was not our day," Flick told a press conference.

  "I think we have to accept this result because they played decisively. It's clear, there are no excuses. We didn't create enough chances.

  "We started well with the ball, I was happy, but then we started to suffer and their goal came. We also made some bad decisions and that's something we have to live with."

  Barcelona had scored in every game they had played in all competitions this season until Sunday, although they did not even manage a shot on target at the Reale Arena.

  It is just the second time they have failed to do so since at least the 2003-04 season, after a match against Malaga in September 2014.

  Real Sociedad arguably could have won by a wider margin after creating 14 chances and generating 1.85 expected goals (xG). The Barcelona defence made plenty of errors, which was something that concerned Flick.

  "The responsibility for the defeat is ours. We could and should have played much better," Flick said.

  "We haven't held possession of the ball the way we wanted and suffered. But the games we have played before have been fantastic, and I appreciate what the team has done so far this season.

  "We tried until the last second, united, and I told the team that. But today we weren't strong enough to deserve a better result."