Fractured tibia means Georginio Wijnaldum will miss World Cup; De Jong also hurt
Dutch footballer Georginio Wijnaldum will not be available to play for Oranje during the World Cup, and will miss the group stage of the Europa League. The midfielder fractured his tibia during a training session with his current club, AS Roma, the Italian team announced over the weekend. Another Dutch player, Luuk de Jong, also suffered an injury this week.
Wijnaldum will be completely out of commission for six to seven weeks, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. The publication said the Dutch player was given the opportunity to choose between surgery, or a conservative rehabilitation plan involving immobilization and physiotherapy.
Wijnaldum opted for the latter. In either case, the recovery time would have been about the same. AS Roma hopes he will rejoin the team in January, the Italian publication reported.
The World Cup starts in Qatar in November. Wijnaldum had hoped that he would be able to return to the Oranje selection with a strong performance in Serie A. His playing time was limited with his previous team, Paris-Saint-Germain, which loaned out the midfielder to the Italian club. The two clubs and the Dutch football association were involved in consultations on Wijnaldum’s treatment options.
AS Roma will play in the group stage of the Europa League from 8 September through 3 November. They were matched with Bulgarian team Loedogorets, the Spanish side Betis, and HJK Helsinki from Finland.
Luuk de Jong suffered a calf injury during PSV’s loss to Rangers FC on Wendesday. “Hopefully it’s not that bad, but it will be in a few weeks,” said the Eindhoven club’s trainer, Ruud van Nistelrooij, during a press conference on Friday.
The 0-1 result meant PSV will miss out on the Champions League again this year. The 31-year-old was substituted out at halftime.
De Jong will potentially miss PSV's early matches in the Europa League this season. The Eindhoven team drew Arsenal, as well as FK Bodø/Glimt from Norway, and FC Zurich from Switzerland.
In the Eredivisie, PSV plays at Excelsior this Sunday, hosts FC Volendam on Wednesday, then travels to Twente on 3 September. They also play RKC Waalwijk and Feyenoord in September.
