Frenkie de Jong will not be able to participate in Euro 2024 because of an ankle injury, which is a significant setback for the Netherlands.

In a major blow for the Netherlands, Frenkie de Jong has confirmed that he will miss Euro 2024 due to an ankle injury. The Barcelona midfielder had been racing against time to regain fitness after suffering the injury in March. Despite being named in Ronald Koeman’s squad, de Jong was ruled out following the team’s 4-0 victory over Iceland in their final warm-up game.

De Jong expressed his disappointment on social media, stating that his ankle needs more time to recover. He acknowledged the honor of representing his country in a final tournament and vowed to support the team from the sidelines. The 27-year-old had been participating in training, albeit without any contact, and there was hope that he would be able to make a comeback.

Koeman had previously indicated that he would include de Jong in the squad even if he missed the opening group games. However, with the midfielder’s absence now confirmed, the Dutch manager may have to reconsider his options for the knockout stages.

The Netherlands will kick off their Euro 2024 campaign on June 16 against Poland in Hamburg, followed by matches against France and Austria. The team has not progressed beyond the last-16 stage of the European Championship since 2008, and their hopes of a successful tournament have been dealt a blow with de Jong’s absence. In 2021, they were eliminated at the same stage by Czech Republic.