‘He’s worried’ - Ronald Koeman drops Frenkie de Jong injury bombshell and aims another dig at Barcelona

Ronald Koeman has dropped a bit of a bombshell regarding Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong’s current ankle injury.

De Jong has been out since April but had been expected to return for Euro 2024. He eventually dropped out of the squad, with Koeman critical of Barca’s handling of the midfielder.

Koeman has now been asked about De Jong again, during a charity golf event, and says the Barca star has a “major injury” which he is very worried about.

“Of course I talk to him, we know each other well, he is worried about his injury. Before the European Championship we expected him to be fine, we knew that in the first game he would not be able to play but we were hopeful, but it was not like that.

“He has a major injury and we have to wait to see how everything goes. I wish him luck and that he recovers early, but he is not yet ready to play,” he told the media.

The Netherlands boss also spoke out again about De Jong playing games “when he was not ready” but said he understood why it happens.

“I think I know much more than you, He played important games when he was not ready to play, he was not in the rhythm of matches or training to play the games against PSG,” he added.

“On the other hand I understand it, because it was a very important moment for Barça, but in the end for Frenkie’s health it was not good.”

It’s still not clear when De Jong will be ready to return to training, with Barca also said to be worried about the injury as it is difficult to treat.