Sports News | Injured Netherlands Midfielder De Jong out for France Match

Zeist (Netherlands), Mar 20 (AP) Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong and winger Steven Bergwijn dropped out of the national squad for the team's opening European Championship qualifier against France, coach Ronald Koeman said Monday.

De Jong injured his thigh late in Barcelona's 2-1 victory over Real Madrid on Sunday. Bergwijn picked up a knee injury in Ajax's 3-2 loss to Feyenoord.

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“Of course that is a big loss because he's an important player for this team,” Koeman said of De Jong. “Because of the way he plays, it will be different if others play in his position. He brings things that not many other players can.”

Koeman called up PSV Eindhoven midfielder Joey Veerman to replace De Jong and Borussia Dortmund winger Donyell Malen as a replacement for Bergwijn.

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Friday's match at the Stade de France is the first for Koeman in his second stint in charge of the Netherlands. Predecessor Louis van Gaal's contract ended after the World Cup in Qatar, where the Dutch lost on penalties to eventual champion Argentina in the quarterfinals. (AP) AM

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)