De Jong out of Holland squad

06 October 2009 12:53
Nigel de Jong has pulled out of the Holland squad for their friendly with Australia in Sydney on Saturday. The midfielder picked up an injury in Manchester City's 1-1 draw at Aston Villa on Monday and was forced off in the 50th minute. While most teams will be fighting it out for World Cup qualification at the weekend, both Holland and Australia will be safe in the knowledge that they have already secured their places in South Africa. De Jong has 34 caps for his country, scoring just one goal, and the 24-year-old should be back for City's clash with Wigan after the international break. The news should mean that Rafael Van der Vaart, who was left out of the original squad, will come in and replace the City man.

Source: SKY_Sports