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Frenkie de Jong (file pic). Alamy Stock Photo
misfortune

Ireland's rivals France and Netherlands suffer blows ahead of clash

Frenkie de Jong and Steven Bergwijn are among the players ruled out, while Mike Maignan has been confirmed as Les Bleus’ new number one

THE NETHERLANDS will face France in their Euro 2024 qualifying clash this week without injured playmaker Frenkie de Jong or winger Steven Bergwijn, the Dutch Football Federation  (KNVB) announced on Monday.

They have been replaced by PSV Eindhoven’s Joey Veerman and Borussia Dortmund’s Donyell Malen as the Dutch take on Les Bleus at the Stade de France on Friday, before playing Gibraltar on Monday, 27 March, in Rotterdam.

De Jong featured  90 minutes for Barca in Sunday’s El Clasico win over Real Madrid.

“The Barcelona player has upper leg complaints from the game with Real Madrid and is not available for the Oranje,” the KNVB said in a statement about De Jong, who underwent an MRI scan.

“Bergwijn also had to step aside with a knee injury,” it added.

Known for his creative playmaking, De Jong’s absence will be felt in the midfield, Dutch coach Ronald Koeman added.

Koeman took over from Louis van Gaal who retired after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar — for his second stint as coach.

“Frenkie is an important player in the team. He has qualities that few other players possess,” Koeman said at a press conference.

“But his absence doesn’t mean that I am going to change my system. That would be strange,” added Koeman, who prefers a 4-3-3 as opposed to Van Gaal’s 5-3-2 which took the Netherlands to the quarter-finals in Qatar.

The Netherlands also play Ireland and Greece in Group B with the top two teams advancing to next year’s finals in Germany.

Meanwhile, France boss Didier Deschamps has confirmed AC MIlan’s Mike Maignan will be the new number one goalkeeper as a result of Hugo Lloris’s retirement after the World Cup, though he did not say who would step in as skipper in place of the departed Tottenham star.

In addition, Arsenal’s William Saliba and Wesley Fofana of Chelsea have both dropped out of the France squad for the start of their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with injuries, the French Football Federation announced on Sunday.

They have been replaced by Axel Disasi of Monaco and Jean-Clair Todibo of Nice as France prepare to take on the Netherlands at the Stade de France next Friday before travelling to play the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Monday, 27 March.

Fofana, 22, had been handed his first call-up by coach Didier Deschamps only to pick up an injury playing for Chelsea against Everton in the Premier League on Saturday.

Saliba, who was part of France’s squad at the World Cup in Qatar, was forced to pull out with an injury suffered in Arsenal’s Europa League game against Portuguese side Sporting on Thursday.

Disasi was a late addition to France’s World Cup squad and came on as a late substitute in the final, while former Barcelona defender Todibo has never been included in the senior squad before.

– © AFP 2023

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