Misfortune strikes Thijs Dallinga: season threatens to be over for potential Netherlands striker

Thijs Dallinga appears to have played his last match of the season. FC Köln have announced through their official channels that the striker has suffered a serious cruciate ligament injury.

The injury happened on Saturday afternoon in the friendly against city rivals Viktoria Köln. "Thijs Dallinga suffered a cruciate ligament injury today in the test match and will be out for several months," FC Köln write.

"Dear Thijs, we will support you in the coming months and our thoughts are with you. You will come back even stronger. We will see you celebrating again, just as on the opening matchday at the RheinEnergieStadion."

Back on 29 August, Dallinga made a dream Bundesliga debut on the opening weekend. The Groningen native came on in the 66th minute and turned a 2-1 deficit against TSG Hoffenheim into a 3-2 win with two goals.

After that, he failed to score in the next two matches he was available for, so his season tally now looks certain to stay on the two goals he scored on the opening matchday of the Bundesliga.

Last summer, Dallinga joined on loan from Bologna, where his chances of game time had worsened after the arrival of Artem Dovbyk, and his contract runs until mid-2028. Köln have the option to sign the 26-year-old striker permanently after this season.

That also means Dallinga does not need to factor in a call-up from head coach Xavi Hernández for the time being. The right-footer has won one cap so far. On 21 November 2023, he made his debut for the Netherlands in the European Championship qualifier against Gibraltar (0-6).