ROTTERDAM.- The midfielder of Netherlands and of BarcelonaFrenkie de Jong, who has not yet recovered from an ankle injury, was declared absent from Euro 2024, the Dutch Football Federation (KNVB) announced this Monday..
Medical examinations carried out on Sunday and Monday showed that his injured ankle still does not have sufficient strength, the KNVB said after the friendly match victory against Iceland (4-0) in Rotterdam.
The 27-year-old player will return to Spain to prepare for the next season with FC Barcelona.
“I have to be careful so that the injury does not become chronic and I don’t feel like having surgery,” he had declared a few days ago.
The ‘Oranje’ players were informed of their teammate’s absence before Monday’s game. “Everyone went straight to him. It’s hard for him, it’s hard for us. Frenkie is an important player for us,” said defender Nathan Aké.
Koeman also suffered the injury of another midfielder, Teun Koopmeiners, who injured his groin during the warm-up this Monday.
The Dutch coach was pessimistic regarding the presence of the Italian Atalanta player in the Euro Cup.
“It doesn’t look good,” he declared. “We’ll do tests and see what it is,” she added.
In the Euro Cup, the Netherlands will face Poland, France and Austria in the group stage.
Good sign:
The Netherlands beat Iceland this Monday night (4-0) in their last preparation match for Euro 2024, which they played at home in Rotterdam, before traveling to Germany.
Ronald Koeman’s team gave a good image in a friendly match in which the young promise Xavi Simons, 21, made his debut as a scorer with the absolute best.
The striker, owned by Paris Saint-Germain and who played last season for RB Leipzig, opened the scoring in the 23rd minute.
At the start of the second half, Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk extended the lead with a header (in the 49th minute).
The Dutch achieved a resounding victory thanks to two goals in the final stretch of the match. Forwards Donyell Malen (79) and Wout Weghorst scored in added time.
After having played a match with intense high pressure, Koeman’s men arrive at the Euro Cup with good feelings.
Source: AFP
