De Jong set to miss quarter-final

Midfielder Nigel de Jong looks set to miss the Netherlands’ FIFA World Cup quarter-final on Saturday because of a groin strain.

Louis van Gaal’s men booked their place in the last eight with a dramatic comeback victory over Mexico in Fortaleza.

Late goals from Wesley Sneijder and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar cancelled out Giovani dos Santos’ opener to send the Dutch through, with De Jong’s early withdrawal the only low point.

The Milan midfielder hobbled off after just nine minutes, with Van Gaal confirming that the experienced midfielder was all but certain to miss their next game on Saturday.

“De Jong had a small groin strain and I was forced to substitute him,” he explained.

“I don’t know if he will be available for the quarter-final, though to be honest it’s very unlikely he will be able to play the next match.

“He is one of my most important players, so this is an enormous loss for us.”

De Jong started each of the Netherlands’ group fixtures as they picked up wins against Spain, Australia and Chile.