Netherlands head coach, Ronald Koeman has reportedly pointed a finger of blame on Barcelona for Frenkie De Jong’s absence at the Euros through injury, stating that the Catalan club were reckless with the 27-year-old.
The Dutch midfielder’s ankle injury, from which he has not recovered, has forced him to miss Euro 2024, this was announced on Monday.
De Jong suffered an injury against Real Madrid in late April. And while it was hoped he would recover in time, he had a setback while training with the Netherlands.
According to Football Espana, following the news’s release on Monday night, Koeman didn’t take long to express his emotions.
“Frenkie de Jong has a history with this injury so we have to think about his health. Their club decided to take risks there and this is the price we now have to pay for it.”
“We found out today in the middle of the afternoon. We were very optimistic, we really hoped to have De Jong in the last game of the group stage. But the best thing is to do without it.”
More broadly, Koeman was not happy with the schedule, which includes the Club World Cup for 12 European clubs next summer.
See Also: Poland Captain Robert Lewandowski Suffers Injury Scare Ahead Of Euro 2024
Meanwhile, MD notes that de Jong has experienced more injuries this season than ever before. Missing a total of 27 games out of a possible 53 due to three separate ankle issues.
He was only able to play in 15 straight games. And the most games he had missed in the past were 13 at Ajax in 2017–18.
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