De Jong defies the risk of injury to play

Frenkie de Jong admits he is willing to risk his fitness to play in the first match with the Dutch national team at Euro 2024.

The Dutch team is striving to help De Jong be fit for the first match at Euro 2024, and recently, the midfielder has affirmed that he is ready to gamble to contribute to the national team this summer in Germany.

Frenkie De Jong is experiencing concerns about his fitness ahead of the start of Euro 2024. The Barcelona star had to sit out the rest of the 2023/24 season after sustaining an injury during the El Clasico match in April.

The Dutch player had to leave the pitch early on a stretcher after a collision late in the first half with Federico Valverde. Notably, the recent injury was the third time this season that his ankle has had issues. The former Ajax player had to miss 10 matches from September to November last year due to a sprained ankle and another 4 matches in March this year for the same reason.

In total, he has missed 22 matches in a Barcelona shirt this season due to persistent right ankle injuries. This is considered the biggest concern affecting the Dutch star’s ability to compete in the upcoming major European football event.

However, in a recent interview, De Jong candidly admitted that he is ready to “take certain risks” to be present in the Netherlands’ opening match at Euro 2024 against Poland on June 16. “My goal is to play the first match of the group stage. When you are injured, you constantly face worries. When I wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, I always check how my ankle feels,” Frenkie De Jong shared.

De Jong’s injury has become a focal point of criticism from experts. Former stars Wesley Sneijder and Ruud Gullit have criticized his declining form in a Barcelona shirt this season. However, it seems De Jong is not too concerned and is fully focused on recovering his fitness to be ready to play at Euro.

The Dutch coaching staff is currently cautiously monitoring De Jong’s injury situation. It is likely that the 1997-born midfielder will not be fielded in the final friendly match before the EURO against Iceland in the early morning of June 11. Instead, they want to help De Jong fully recover from his injury to be ready to fight at Euro 2024, where the Netherlands is placed in Group D along with France, Austria, and Poland.