Relief for Barça! Netherlands releases Frenkie de Jong early

New developments surrounding one of the players of FC Barcelona who is currently with his national team. This time, the player in question is Frenkie de Jong. The reason? It's related to an announcement from the Dutch national team involving him.

The 'Oranje' has confirmed that they will release Frenkie de Jong ahead of the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the sixth round of the UEFA Nations League. This decision, according to the Dutch national team coach, Ronald Koeman, is based on non-sporting reasons, but on the determination to take care of the midfielder's physical health. The former Barcelona coach expressed: "It is better for Frenkie and Virgil to leave the training camp at this moment. This decision was made for medical reasons, always considering the players' best interests first."

Virgil van Dijk and Frenkie de Jong are not part of the squad for our final group stage game against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the #NationsLeague. ℹ️
@RonaldKoeman: “For both Frenkie and Virgil it is better for them to leave the training camp at this moment. That decision was… pic.com/EPcqG31Aux

— OnsOranje (@OnsOranje) November 18, 2024

Frenkie de Jong is still not at 100% of his physical condition

This announcement comes after Frenkie de Jong, following the Dutch national team's 4-0 victory over Hungary, in which he played for about 68 minutes, publicly admitted that despite being medically cleared, he does not feel physically fit. He stated: "Normally, I would feel like I'm back to my level pretty quickly after an injury. This time it's different, I have more aftermath from this. I still feel sensitivity at certain moments, but I also need to regain the confidence that I can do certain things. That only happens by playing games; hopefully, the pain will disappear on its own," said the Arkel native in an interview with the Dutch media outlet 'NOS'.

In the same statement, Frenkie de Jong had stated that he did not expect to start against Bosnia. Now, with this withdrawal, it is clear that he will not play again for the 'Oranje' during this November international break, closing a somewhat 'gray' return to international action.

Although he has been playing regularly with Barcelona, he has done so progressively, avoiding pushing his physical conditions to the maximum to avoid a recurrence of an ankle injury, which was one of his main issues last season. These physical setbacks caused him to miss several matches, something he surely does not want to repeat this campaign.