De Jong's Euro dreams dashed as injury deals Netherlands heavy blow
Netherlands' Frenkie de Jong arrives to a training session of the Dutch team at KNVB Campus in Zeist, Netherlands, June 9, 2024. (EPA Photo)


Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong will miss the European Championship due to an ankle injury, dealing a significant setback to the team.

The Dutch football association confirmed the news, stating that the Barcelona star would not recover in time for Euro 2024 in Germany.

De Jong was sidelined as Ronald Koeman's team secured a 4-0 victory over Iceland in their final warm-up match, watching from the bench in Rotterdam.

"He won't be fit enough to play at this level for the next three weeks," Koeman said. "There's no point keeping him with us."

De Jong's hopes of playing were dashed when tests "showed that the ankle is not yet sufficiently resilient," Netherlands officials said in a statement.

Koeman will decide later whether to call up a replacement. AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders played in midfield in De Jong's absence on Monday.

Another midfielder, Teun Koopmeiners, was injured while warming up for the Iceland match and was also in doubt for the tournament. Koeman said they were waiting for test results expected on Tuesday, but he added, "I have a bad feeling."

The Netherlands, the 1988 European champion, plays Poland in its first Group D match on Sunday in Hamburg before taking on World Cup runner-up France and completing the group stage against Austria.

Poland strikers Robert Lewandowski and Karol Swiderski were in doubt for Euro 2024 after they were injured as Poland beat Türkiye 2-1 in a warmup on Monday.