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Frenkie de Jong's ankle injury has ruled him out of Euro 2024 dealing a major blow to the Netherlands' tournament hopes.
Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong has been ruled out of the European Championship after failing to recover from an ankle injury, delivering a significant blow to the team’s ambitions.
The Dutch football association confirmed the Barcelona star's unavailability for Euro 2024 in Germany following Ronald Koeman’s side’s emphatic 4-0 victory over Iceland in their final warm-up game.
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De Jong, who watched the match from the sidelines in Rotterdam, will not regain sufficient fitness to compete at the top level in the next three weeks, according to head coach Ronald Koeman.
“He won’t be fit enough to play at this level for the next three weeks. There’s no point keeping him with us," Koleman explained as per FirstPost.
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Hopes for de Jong’s participation were dashed when medical tests revealed his ankle had not sufficiently healed, as stated by Netherlands officials.
The midfielder had already missed the closing weeks of the 2023/24 season due to this persistent ankle issue, and his ongoing recovery now extends beyond the tournament's start in Germany.
The Dutch camp had been striving to ensure de Jong’s readiness for the competition, with the player himself willing to risk his fitness to feature at Euro 2024.
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However, his exclusion is a setback that the team must navigate. Koeman is yet to decide on a potential replacement, with AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders stepping in during de Jong’s absence against Iceland.
Adding to the Dutch woes, another midfielder, Teun Koopmeiners, sustained an injury while warming up for the Iceland match and is also doubtful for the tournament.
Koeman mentioned that they were awaiting further test results, expected on Tuesday, but expressed concern, saying, “I have a bad feeling.”
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The Netherlands, champions in 1988, face a challenging Group D, starting with Poland in Hamburg on Sunday, followed by a clash against World Cup runner-up France, and concluding the group stage against Austria.
Meanwhile, Poland faces its own injury concerns with strikers Robert Lewandowski and Karol Swiderski in doubt after picking up injuries in a 2-1 win over Turkey in their warm-up game.
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