New setback: Barcelona star returns to Flick's squad injured
Frenkie de Jong, the Netherlands midfielder, has been confirmed absent from his country's final group-stage match in the UEFA Nations League, scheduled against Germany on Monday, after suffering some minor pain following the clash with Greece.
The Netherlands' technical staff, led by Xavi Hernández, decided to leave the 29-year-old out of the matchday squad to avoid any unnecessary risks after the physical complaints he picked up during the clash with Greece.
The Netherlands national team's official account posted on X: "Frenkie de Jong is suffering from some minor physical pain, and will miss the upcoming away match against Germany."
It added: "The technical staff decided, as a precautionary measure, not to have the player travel to Berlin, given that Monday's match comes early for the midfielder's recovery period."
Xavi will not call up a replacement to cover for de Jong's absence. That leaves the Netherlands with a squad of 23 players for the clash with Germany.
Monday's match is the Netherlands' last in the group stage of the UEFA Nations League, with the Berlin Olympic Stadium playing host.
The Dutch go into the game top of their group with 11 points. Germany and Greece each have 8, while Serbia sit bottom without a single point.
A draw will send the Netherlands through to the quarter-finals as group winners, with the ties scheduled for next March.
De Jong is going through a sensitive phase in his career this season. He has been forced to deal with the aftermath of an injury that kept him off the pitch for a long spell, disrupting the regularity of his appearances for Barcelona and his country, just as he looks to win back his place in the starting line-up and rediscover his best physical and technical levels.
The Dutch midfielder suffered a knee injury during the 2026 World Cup, which cost him a number of important fixtures, before he began his gradual return to the pitch with Barcelona in late October.
His comeback with the Catalan side has not been straightforward. De Jong needed to rebuild his match sharpness after the lay-off, with Hansi Flick's staff keen to handle his physical condition carefully and avoid loading him with extra strain before he was fully ready.
De Jong is a key part of Barcelona's plans, thanks to his ability to control the tempo, retain the ball under pressure and offer solutions when building attacks from the back. His tactical flexibility also lets him fill more than one role in midfield.
