On June 10, the Dutch Football Association confirmed that Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong would miss the 2024 UEFA European Championship due to injury.
The 27-year-old midfielder has been struggling with an ankle issue since March 3, making only three appearances for Barcelona since then. De Jong was substituted in the first half of Barcelona’s match against Athletic Bilbao on March 3rd. He returned to action on April 21 for a La Liga match against Real Madrid but was substituted again before halftime due to his injury.
Despite not featuring for Barcelona since then, De Jong was still called up by head coach Ronald Koeman for the Netherlands national team’s preparations for Euro 2024. Koeman had hoped for a recovery, but unfortunately, it was not to be.
After ruling De Jong out of the Euros, Koeman openly criticized Barcelona for their handling of the player’s injury. “We have to consider the player’s health. This player has an injury history, and the club took risks with it, and now we are paying the price. It makes our job more challenging,” he said.
Despite his disappointment, Koeman decided not to include De Jong in this edition of the tournament. “He hasn’t played any games, and we haven’t seen him at his best. The tests show he isn’t ready, and he won’t be able to perform at the highest level for the next three weeks. You can keep him here, but it wouldn’t make much sense,” Koeman lamented.
From here on, Koeman must rejig his lineup and find effective solutions to compensate for De Jong’s absence. In Monday’s friendly against Iceland, the manager experimented with a midfield trio consisting of Rensch, Schuurs, and Willems.