Frenkie de Jong’s Euro 2024 Dream Shattered by Ankle Injury
The Barcelona star was ruled out of Euro 2024 on Monday.
De Jong, 27, has been sidelined since injuring his right ankle in Barcelona’s 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid on April 21.
Despite his ongoing recovery, De Jong was included in Ronald Koeman‘s 26-player squad for the Euros in Germany, with hopes that he would regain fitness in time for the finals.
However, the Netherlands confirmed in a brief statement that De Jong had lost his “race against time” and would not be fit enough to participate in the tournament.
This news comes as a significant blow to the Netherlands’ chances at Euro 2024, as De Jong is a key player in the team’s midfield.
His absence will be deeply felt, and the team will need to regroup and adapt quickly to overcome this setback.
De Jong reacts:
“I’m sad and disappointed that I won’t make it to the Euros.”
“We’ve been doing a lot of work in the past few weeks, but my ankle needs more time, unfortunately.
Read Also: Germany vs Netherlands 2-1 Highlights | Friendly
“It’s a dream and the greatest honour to represent our country in a major tournament, but now, like the entire nation, I will cheer for our team from the sidelines.”
De Jong, who has 54 caps for his country, missed Barça’s final six games of the season after sustaining his third ankle of the campaign in the Clásico defeat against Madrid.
Speaking after a 4-0 win over Iceland, Koeman criticised Barça’s management of De Jong‘s injuries this season.
“They took a risk with Frenkie and now we suffer the consequences,” Koeman said.
De Jong will now return to Barcelona to continue his recovery work, while Koeman must decide whether he wants to call up a replacement for the former Ajax man.
Netherlands have a record of 10 EURO appearances, winning the championship in 1988.
They will face Poland in their opening match on June 16, 2024, in Hamburg.
