Ronald Koeman blames Barcelona as Frenkie de Jong suffers Euro 2024 setback

Netherland national team head coach Ronald Koeman has slammed Barcelona over Frenkie de Jong’s fitness ahead of the upcoming European Championships.

De Jong was named among the travelling 26-player squad for Euros but the Barcelona midfielder has been ruled out of the tournament after failing to recover from an injury.

The Barcelona midfielder was ruled out due to an injury he sustained on March 3 while playing against Athletic Club at San Mames.

De Jong’s injury setback led to Koeman expressing his frustration with Barcelona. According to the Dutch tactician, Barcelona rushed de Jong back into play too soon in April, which he believes worsened the player’s condition.

“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,” said Koeman as quoted by Mundo Deportivo.

His club took risks before and now we have to pay the price. I know that he played while he was not 100% ready,” he added.

It is to be noted that de Jong played 75 minutes in the first leg of the match in Paris and just a week later, he played for 82 minutes in a game at Montjuïc, where he appeared visibly fatigued.

His season came to an abrupt end during the Clasico match against Real Madrid when he collided with Federico Valverde just before halftime.

Netherland will continue their quest to win the European championship without Frankie De Jong, a key player in Ronald Koemans’ squad.