In a significant setback for the Netherlands, star midfielder Frenkie de Jong has been ruled out of the European Championship due to an ankle injury. The Dutch football association confirmed that the Barcelona player would not be fit for Euro 2024 in Germany after Ronald Koeman’s squad triumphed 4-0 over Iceland in their final warm-up match. De Jong, who was on the bench during the game in Rotterdam, will be sidelined for at least three weeks, according to Koeman.
“There’s no point keeping him with us as he won’t be fit enough to play at this level in the coming weeks,” Koeman explained. The decision came after medical tests indicated that De Jong’s ankle injury had not healed sufficiently, dashing his hopes of participating in the tournament. Koeman has yet to decide on a potential replacement, but AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders filled in for De Jong during Monday’s match.
The Netherlands is also concerned about the fitness of another midfielder, Teun Koopmeiners, who sustained an injury while warming up for the Iceland game. Koopmeiners’ participation in the tournament remains uncertain as the team awaits further test results. Koeman expressed his apprehension, stating, “I have a bad feeling” about Koopmeiners’ injury.
The Dutch team, which won the European Championship in 1988, faces a challenging Group D schedule, starting with a match against Poland on Sunday in Hamburg. They will then confront World Cup runner-up France before concluding the group stage against Austria.
Poland is dealing with its own injury issues, with key strikers Robert Lewandowski and Karol Swiderski in doubt for Euro 2024. Both players were injured during Poland’s 2-1 victory over Turkey in a recent warm-up match. These injuries pose significant concerns for both teams as they prepare for the highly competitive tournament.