De Jong close to Ajax return

Ajax midfielder Siem de Jong says he is fully fit and ready to return to action, but needs match practice before he is back to his best.

The 22-year-old has been absent since picking up a thigh injury in Ajax’s 6-4 defeat to Utrecht at the start of November, but he has revealed that he has made a full recovery and is close to returning to Frank de Boer’s side.

“I feel good and I’m fully fit again,” de Jong told Ajax’s official website. “The only thing I am missing is match practice.”

“The match against Utrecht was two months ago, so hopefully I can make my comeback in the friendly match against Almere City on Friday.”

Ajax are currently five points behind league leaders AZ, whom they meet twice in a row when they play the abandoned KNVB Beker match on January 19 before clashing once more in their return to league duties three days later.