Frenkie de Jong has withdrawn from the Netherlands national team squad ahead of their fixture against Germany due to back discomfort, returning directly to Barcelona for medical evaluation.
The player suffered minor discomfort during the Nations League match against Greece, as announced by the KNVB this Saturday afternoon, after the midfielder contested the first half of the encounter against the Greek team on Friday night.
Back discomfort ends international duty
The Royal Dutch Football Association announced that the midfielder will not travel to Berlin for the upcoming fixture on Monday, November 16, 2026, against Germany. The match against Germany is decisive for reaching the final phase of the Nations League.
“Frenkie de Jong has been experiencing some minor physical discomfort and will miss the away fixture against Germany,” the KNVB stated on X, as reported by Diario AS.
“As a precaution, it has been decided that he will not travel to Berlin, as Monday’s match comes too soon for the midfielder,” the organization added.
The KNVB announced the decision on Saturday, November 14, 2026.
De Jong leaves pitch due to back discomfort
Mundo Deportivo said that De Jong had approached the coaching staff prior to kickoff regarding discomfort in his back. The selection of the Netherlands under Xavi Hernández comfortably defeated Greece 7-0 in the Nations League, with the opponent having been the revelation team until that match.
De Jong was injured during the first half against Greece precisely when the score was 5-0 in favor. The player did not return to the pitch after the half-time interval. The midfielder was substituted at half-time.
“At halftime, we thought it was better to substitute him,” Xavi told reporters.
The coach initially indicated that he did not view the issue as a serious injury, ruling out any injury and even assuring that he could play the match against Germany by stating “It is not serious” and “Everyone will be available on Monday,” while also mentioning according to The Telegraaf that “he couldn’t continue, but I hope he’ll be ready on Monday too.”
Frenkie de Jong has been experiencing some minor physical discomfort and will miss the away fixture against Germany. As a precaution, it has been decided that he will not travel to Berlin, as Monday’s match comes too soon for the midfielder. pic.twitter.com/86b8vA7iZ6
Xavi Hernández said that De Jong came to see him even before the match and felt discomfort in his back. The coach said that after the match he indicated he was not worried about the physical condition of the Barcelona midfielder since there was no injury and it was only back discomfort. The midfielder, praised at Barça for his multifunctionality, was substituted at the interval.
“I just came back from an injury, so it made sense for me to be changed,” De Jong told reporters. “With all the travel and international commitments, and considering what I’ve been through before, there was no need to take risks.”
The player also said that he had just returned and had not yet played many minutes. De Jong previously reached the point of playing minutes with the Dutch national team during the World Cup despite being injured, as a consequence of which his club, Barcelona, had to do without the midfielder for four months.
In the absence of Virgil van Dijk, who was absent due to injury, De Jong served as captain of the Netherlands. The player who was injured at the World Cup and could not reappear until a few weeks ago clarified the reason as precaution.
Return to Barcelona and upcoming fixtures
Yahoo reported that Xavi will not call up a replacement player, leaving the Netherlands squad with 23 players for the match at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. The team currently leads its UEFA Nations League group with 11 points, three ahead of Germany and Greece.
De Jong is scheduled to return to Barcelona to place himself under the care of club medical staff, with the team set to host Villarreal at the Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday, November 22, 2026, in the thirteenth round of LaLiga EA Sports, SPORT confirmed.
De Jong will return to Barcelona in the next few hours to put himself in the hands of the medical services of FC Barcelona to be available for Hansi Flick in the next match of the culés.
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