Barcelona furious with Netherlands over De Jong injury; surgery could sideline him 4-6 months

Published Jul 15, 01:30 PM UTC

According to AS reporter Javi Miguel, Barcelona is extremely unhappy with how the Netherlands national team handled Frenkie de Jong's knee injury. De Jong returned early from leave to the club's training ground with severe right knee swelling and joint instability, with ligament damage suspected. Barcelona believes the Dutch team deceived them, allowing De Jong to receive two injections and play through injury in matches against Tunisia and Morocco, including extra time, worsening the condition. Surgery is not ruled out, which could sideline the midfielder for 4-6 months. Barcelona is angry at Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman, the medical staff, and De Jong himself for taking unacceptable risks, prioritizing match results over player health. The club also recalls Koeman's previous criticism of Barcelona's handling of De Jong's return last season.