Koeman once again talks about Frenkie de Jong's physical condition: "He is not yet at his best..."

The career of Frenkie de Jong has recently been marked by several physical setbacks that have prevented him from playing his football regularly. Just look at the 2023-24 season, where injuries to his right ankle were his main obstacle. The player from Arkel suffered three incidents in that area, with the last being the most complicated (a grade two sprain), requiring almost six months for recovery and causing him to miss nine matches of the 2024-25 season.

Recently, after receiving medical clearance and playing about seven matches, alarms were triggered again regarding his physical condition during the match against Real Sociedad (1-0). The reason? Frenkie de Jong suffered a blow to his left leg that forced him to leave the match against the Basques, creating uncertainty about the possibility of facing another long-term setback.

Fortunately, the physical incident was not as serious as initially thought, limited to a bruise on the shin that, although painful, is not considered an injury. Now, after undergoing tests to rule out complications, he has been cleared to join the Dutch national team for the UEFA Nations League matches against Hungary (11/16) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (11/19) during this November FIFA window.

Ronald Koeman's statements on Frenkie de Jong's current physical condition

Speaking of the 'Oranje', the national coach Ronald Koeman has taken the floor to discuss Frenkie de Jong's physical state. The Zaandam native expressed his perspective on how he sees the Blaugrana midfielder physically, as well as his desire to have him in the lineup for the upcoming FIFA matches. "He will be able to play on Saturday, although he may need to train individually for a few days due to the blow he received," Koeman began.

"He has been out for a long time and still has not played a full match. He is not at his best yet, although it was important for us that he returned to the group."

To conclude, the former coach of FC Barcelona expressed the genuine scare he felt when he saw Frenkie de Jong leave 'injured' from the match against Real Sociedad, as well as the relief he experienced when confirming that the injury was not severe. "I immediately contacted Barça because I feared it was something with the ankle, but they made it clear that it wasn't. It was the shin, he received a painful blow, but it wasn't a big problem, so he has traveled to help us," he stated.

The Dutch coach has always been attentive to De Jong's injury history

At this point, it is important to remember that in the past, Ronald Koeman has been very involved in the evolution of the injuries suffered by Frenkie de Jong, who is a key player in the starting lineup of the Dutch national team.

Moreover, Koeman has not hesitated to express criticism of FC Barcelona when he felt it was necessary to question the way De Jong's recovery has been handled in the past. The Dutch coach has even hinted that the culé team may have pressured Frenkie to play despite being injured, although this assertion remains unproven to date.