“He played while he was not 100% ready” - Ronald Koeman pins blame on Barcelona after Frenkie de Jong gets ruled out of Euro 2024 with injury
Ronald Koeman has fired shots at Barcelona following Frenkie de Jong's injury. The Netherlands manager claims that the Catalan side rushed the midfielder back, which ruled him out of EURO 2024.
Speaking to the media on Monday night, Koeman stated that De Jong was hurried back into action by Barcelona when he was yet to regain full fitness. He added that the Dutchman was not going to be at his best for EURO 2024 and has been pulled out of the squad.
"We came to a conclusion that even in the next 3 weeks, De Jong will not be fully ready. He has a history with this injury. His club took risks before and now we have to pay the price. I know that he played while he was not 100% ready," Ronald Koeman said.
Xavi also spoke about De Jong's injury in March and admitted that it was a long-term issue. He was quoted by NYTimes as saying:
"The injuries to Pedri and Frenkie do not look good. It is very unfortunate. They look like they will miss several games and could be out for a long time. Between today and tomorrow, we'll know more. These are two very important players for us, and it seems like they will now be out for several matches, perhaps a long time. We have to hope it is less than we fear, but it is tremendous misfortune for us."
However, Frenkie de Jong was back playing for Barcelona a month after he was ruled out. He played against Real Madrid and Pairs Saint-Germain, before getting ruled out with the ankle injury again.
Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong confirms he is ruled out of EURO 2024
Frenkie de Jong has confirmed that he will be missing the EUO 2024 this summer. The Barcelona star took to Instagram to send a message to the fans and wrote:
"I'm sad and disappointed that I won't make it to the EC. 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 honor 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."
Frenkie de Jong missed 27 matches this season through injury. All of them were down to his ankle issues.