Frenkie De Jong To Miss Euro 2024 Due To Ankle Injury, Shares Disappointment

Frenkie de Jong has expressed his disappointment after being ruled out of Euro 2024 due to an ankle injury. Following the Netherlands' 4-0 victory over Iceland on Monday, it was confirmed via social media that the midfielder would not recover in time for the tournament. De Jong, who has not played since Barcelona's defeat to Real Madrid on April 21, was still included in Ronald Koeman's final 26-man squad despite his injury.

De Jong has been a key player for the Netherlands since making his senior international debut in 2018, earning 54 caps and scoring two goals. In a statement on Instagram, De Jong said, "I'm sad and disappointed that I won't make it to the European Championship. We've been doing a lot of it the past few weeks, but my ankle needs more time, unfortunately. It's a dream and greatest honour to represent our country in a final tournament. Wearing the orange shirt, singing the Wilhelmus and feeling the support of the entire country. But now I will, like the entire orange legion, cheer for our team from the sidelines. Let's go, boys."

In his post-match press conference, Koeman criticised Barcelona for their handling of De Jong's injury, stating that they were left with nothing after the club took a risk with the player. In a later interview on Dutch television, he revealed that he knew about De Jong's withdrawal hours before kick-off and informed the rest of the squad before their game against Iceland.

"Tests have shown that he cannot yet do what he should be able to do. He gets a reaction from his ankle every time after training," Koeman said. "Then you have to conclude that he will not be 100 per cent fit for the next three weeks. I already thought that playing against Poland [in the Group D opener] would be difficult."

The Netherlands also faced another injury concern during their game against Iceland as Teun Koopmeiners suffered a thigh injury during the warm-up, forcing him to withdraw from the starting line-up. The team will face Poland in their Group D opener in Hamburg on Sunday, followed by matches against France and Austria.