Koeman Attributes De Jong's Euro 2024 Absence To Both Player And Barcelona

Ronald Koeman has stated that both Frenkie de Jong and Barcelona share the responsibility for the Netherlands midfielder missing Euro 2024 due to injury. De Jong was ruled out after failing to recover from an ankle injury sustained during Barcelona's Clasico defeat by Real Madrid on April 21. The 27-year-old was initially named in the provisional Dutch squad but was confirmed to be unavailable following their final warm-up match against Iceland on Monday.

Koeman had previously criticised Barcelona's handling of De Jong's injury. On Wednesday, he remarked that the issue also depends on the player himself. "Of course, it also depends on the player himself. I have also spoken to Frenkie about this, but that remains between me and the player," Koeman told reporters in Wolfsburg. He added, "I have a little more inside information, but I'm done with it now."

The Netherlands head coach is keen to move forward, with the Oranje opening their Group D campaign against Poland on Sunday. "There is little point in answering questions about topics that are no longer current," he said.

Borussia Dortmund's Ian Maatsen was called up in De Jong's place. However, Koeman opted not to draft in a replacement for Teun Koopmeiners, who was also ruled out of Euro 2024 with a groin injury. Explaining his reasons, Koeman said, "Ian was already in the pre-selection; he is a multi-functional player who has only been out of action for a week."

Koeman further elaborated on his decision-making process: "All other options have been gone for three weeks; I don't know where they all are. Within these 25 remaining players, we can go in any direction. We play with three midfielders and we have five."

He emphasised flexibility within the squad: "You can always move someone one spot back or someone from the back one line forward. It will never be an excuse in this tournament, no matter what happens, not to have called up a 26th player."

The Netherlands will now focus on their upcoming matches without two of their key players. The team aims to adapt and perform well despite these setbacks.