In an official confirmation, Chelsea FC’s first team player Ian Maatsen has received a late call-up to replace Barcelona’s Frenkie De Jong in The Netherlands squad ahead of the 2024 UEFA Euro tournament set to commence in Germany from Friday, June 14, 2024.
Left-back Ian Maatsen, who helped Dortmund reach the Champions League final will enter the tournament in good form as his initial omission from the squad had raised some eyebrows amongst football fans, experts and critics alike.
It has been confirmed that Frenkie De Jong who had picked up a knock during his time at Barcelona did not pass the last-minute fitness test thereby making him unavailable for his country ahead of the tournament. Adding to coach Ronald Koeman’s woes, midfielder Teun Koopmeiners will miss the tournament in Germany after suffering an injury in the Oranje’s final warm-up game against Iceland.
Koopmeiners will not be replaced, leaving the Dutch squad with 25 players, according to the association. Although not among the top favourites, The Netherlands will be looking to win the Euro 2024 group stage fixtures and secure qualification to the knockout stage of the tournament. The team could emerge as dark horses, boasting an experienced defence and a midfield filled with talent from Europe’s top clubs.
They face a challenging group, starting with an opening clash against Poland, followed by matches against joint-favourites France and then Austria. Despite these challenges, impressive friendly victories over Iceland (4-0) and Canada (4-0) have the team heading into the tournament full of confidence.
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