Captain De Jong ruled out against Germany as precaution

De Jong ruled out of Germany match as precaution after minor complaints from Greece game; Xavi not calling up replacement.

Frenkie de Jong has been ruled out of the Netherlands' Nations League match against Germany as a precautionary measure. The Barcelona midfielder played the first half against Greece on Friday, captaining the side in Virgil van Dijk's absence, but was substituted at half-time by manager Xavi Hernández.

Although Xavi indicated after the match that he had no fitness concerns, De Jong has since developed minor complaints and will not travel to Berlin. The KNVB confirmed the decision on Saturday. Xavi has opted not to call up a replacement, meaning the Netherlands will travel to Germany with 23 players. Teun Koopmeiners came into the team for De Jong against Greece.