Reported Manchester United target and Holland international Nigel de Jong has suffered a groin muscle tear.
The Dutch Football Association has revealed that Holland international Nigel de Jong will miss the next two to four weeks with a groin muscle tear.
The injury means it is highly unlikely he will feature for what remains of the World Cup, given that the final – should the Netherlands make it that far – is just 12 days away.
De Jong has been an integral part of van Gaal’s plans this summer, and was even linked with a move to Manchester United. But after going off in just the ninth minute of his country’s 2-1 last-16 victory over Mexico, the AC Milan man will reportedly not experience any more action in Brazil this summer.
It is a huge blow for new United boss van Gaal who had picked de Jong for all four tournament matches to date.
The Netherlands’ next match is a quarter-final against Costa Rica on Saturday, a game van Gaal’s side will be wary of given their opponents’ outstanding competition to date.
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