Daily Schmankerl: Frenkie de Jong may miss UCL game; Rafinha has a rough timetable on his return; and MORE!

Dutch journo indicates Frenkie de Jong is not healthy enough to play today (De Telegraaf)

Well so much for one half of our “Opposing Players to Watch”; though I suppose you could watch Frenkie de Jong sitting on the bench.

Ajax reporter Mike Verweij saw it quickly during the preparations: Frenkie de Jong will not play against Bayern Munich.

Video of de Jong’s attempt to train is available at the link on the De Telegraaf site as well. Verweij took to Twitter to let de Jong’s status be known.

Video of fellow @julianpater... No Frenkie de Jong against @FCBayern... Bad Smoke Screen #Ajax

It’s disappointing that de Jong isn’t quite ready to go for this one as it is always excellent to get a chance to watch a young player who has drawn so much hype and attention.

Here is a pic of de Jong training at the Allianz Arena, which may be the as close as we get to seeing him in action on the pitch:

Getty Images

Rafinha a popular figure as he works to return to the squad (@FCBayernES)

Rafinha’s presence as a reserve outside back has been sorely missed and his teammates made it a point to give him some love when he returned to the training ground for a workout.

Per TZ, Rafinha is expected back after the next international break:

A return is probably only realistic after the international break in mid-October.

Jadon Sancho looking to extend deal with Borussia Dortmund (The Mirror)

The 18-year old Brit has made a big impact with Dortmund this season and is looking to make his stay there last a little longer.

Jadon Sancho is set for a new contract at Borussia Dortmund. The England starlet has enjoyed an outstanding start to the new season under new coach Lucien Favre. No player in Europe’s top five leagues has made more assists, with the 18-year-old already registering five in the Bundesliga - in just 124 minutes.

The deal Sancho signed with BVB upon arriving last summer runs until 2020. Dortmund also hold a two-year option to extend the deal. But so delighted have clubs chiefs been that they are looking to hand Sancho a longer contract on improved terms, partially to ward off any interest from Premier League clubs.

Increasingly he has emerged as Favre’s go-to substitute to change games, as shown in the 4-2 comeback win over Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend.

Young Mainz fan makes awesome Lego version of the Opel Arena (@Mainz05en)

Bad parenting in letting this kid become a Mainz fan aside (I kid, I kid), this boy does a pretty awesome job with his Legos.

UEFA Youth League Match Day 2 lineups are out (@FCBjuniorteam)

A call for fan groups (BavarianFootballWorks.com)

We are trying something here at the Daily Schmankerl and need YOUR help. If you read my man Tommy Adams’ piece about his experience with the FCBNYC Fan Club (if you haven’t, SHAME ON YOU!), you could see how great the event was. So we want to highlight some of these wonderful groups that are out there globally and this is what we need from you:

• Name of the group
• Location
• Year founded
• Leadership (if you have people are kind of running the show)
• Meeting place
• Social media handles
• Pictures

We have 7 clubs on board so far. I’d LOVE to be able to feature a different fan group every week this season. Maybe we can do it, maybe not...but only YOU can help decide the fate of this idea. Send your info to: barrelsportsblog@gmail.com.