Netherlands defender Micky van de Ven avoids serious injury

Netherlands national team defender Micky van de Ven has avoided a serious injury after being forced to leave a Nations League match against Serbia. During the game, his left hand was stepped on by Luka Jović, causing him to play with a stabilized finger before eventually being substituted due to increasing pain.

Netherlands coach Xavi Hernández clarified that the injury is not serious, stating, “He is fine. He just felt temporary dizziness from the finger injury, but it is not a serious injury.” Van de Ven is expected to return to Tottenham Hotspur as scheduled for medical reassessment.

Separately, Xavi Hernández has expressed concerns regarding the current international match week schedule. Following FIFA revisions that integrated match weeks, European teams are now required to play four matches within a two-week period. The coach argued that the schedule is too congested due to travel requirements, suggesting that the matches should be split into more manageable blocks, such as two sets of three matches or three sets of two matches.