Double blow in midfield for the Netherlands puts pressure on Georginio Wijnaldum to rediscover Liverpool form | OneFootball

The Dutch have been dealt a double blow ahead of Euro 2024 with injuries to both Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners out before a ball has been kicked. While de Jong was seen as touch and go, the loss of Koopmeiners will be harder to swallow given that he picked up his injury during the friendly win over Iceland.

Questions were raised when Ronald Koeman selected Georginio Wijnaldum in the final squad, but now it appears that the former Liverpool man will need to play a major role this tournament. Fans of Oranje will hope he can rediscover some of the form he showed at Liverpool during the past few seasons. The 33-year-old has spent the last season in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Ettifaq. He scored six goals and grabbed five assists in 29 games.

The absence of two key players such as Koopmeiners and de Jong also means that the likes of Ryan Gravenberch, Tijjani Reijnders, Joey Veerman and Jerdy Schouten are all likely to see minutes during the tournament. The Netherlands have one of the toughest groups at Euro 2024, facing Poland, Austria and France. However, their opening game against Poland will see their opposition without star striker Robert Lewandowski.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson