Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has said that the "mental trauma" of repeated ankle injuries has been "tough," as he refuted reports that he earns €37 million ($41.3m) annually and turned down the chance to undergo surgery.
De Jong, 27, has not played since April when he suffered his third ankle injury of the season in Barça's Clásico defeat to Real Madrid at the Bernabéu.
The injury forced him to miss the European Championship with Netherlands and the beginning of the new season under new Barça coach Hansi Flick, but he has now returned to training and is closing in on a return to action.
"It's been a tough process because playing football is what I love most, it's been my life," De Jong said in an interview with Barcelona One on Sunday.
"It's my passion. When you can't play big games, when you miss the Euros and many games with Barça, it's really hard, really difficult.
"Every day you get up, looking at the ankle, seeing how it is. Having three injuries to the same ankle caused me a bit of mental trauma, but I am gradually regaining my confidence to kick the ball hard and go strong into tackles. Hopefully it's not long now until I am back."
During De Jong's five months on the sidelines, stories have emerged criticising him for turning down the chance to have surgery on his ankle and lamenting that the club are paying a big salary to a player who is not able to contribute on the pitch.
The former Ajax player denied the reports' claims that an operation was the best option and that his salary -- which is backloaded due to agreeing to defer wages during the COVID-19 pandemic -- is anywhere near €37m annually.
"I understand the frustrations because throughout my recovery I have chosen to stay silent," De Jong added.
"But then things come out that are not true, like I don't want surgery, that I earn loads of money, as much as €37m. That's a very big figure and is a long way off what I really earn.
"And then people are talking a lot about whether I have to have surgery. It is not true that the club told me I had to have an operation and I didn't want one.
"Everyone at the club, the doctors and myself all agreed that surgery was not the best option. It has been very frustrating for a player who lives and breathes football to be out of action for a lengthy period."
De Jong has missed 38 games since the start of the 23-24 campaign due to three ankle injuries, but he has been training with the first team for the last few weeks and is expected back in action after the October international break, if not before.
Barça, who lead LaLiga after eight games despite losing at Osasuna on Saturday, face Young Boys on Tuesday and Alavés on Saturday before a tricky run of fixtures against Sevilla, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Espanyol later in October.
De Jong, a €75m signing from Ajax in 2019, has just over 18 months to run on his Barça contract, which expires in the summer of 2026.