The Netherlands star will miss Euro 2024. Koeman blames his club

Key midfielder and leader of the Netherlands national team, Frenkie de Jong, will officially miss the Euro 2024 Championship.

De Jong has been experiencing discomfort from a knee injury sustained in April while playing for Barcelona. At that time, the club's medical staff decided that surgery was not necessary, allowing him to continue the season.

However, during preparations for Euro 2024, De Jong continued to feel pain in his knee, leading the Netherlands' medical staff to determine that he would be unable to play in the tournament.

At a press conference following the friendly match against Iceland, Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman blamed Barcelona for the situation:

“Frenkie has a history with this injury so we have to think about his health. The club over there decided to take risks and this is the price we have to pay for it”

Additionally, during the warm-up before the game against Iceland, another key midfielder, Atalanta's Teun Koopmeiners, also sustained an injury.

The Netherlands will play their first match at Euro 2024 on June 16 against Poland. Ronald Koeman's team will also face France and Austria in the group stage.