De Jong admits his ankle injury had him concerned whether he would play again.
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He said, "It was difficult, it was a very painful injury. I missed a lot of games and the most important thing was the European Championship. I started playing again and right now I feel good.
"I wondered if I would ever fully recover? Sometimes that crossed my mind, but I always had the confidence that one day I would be able to play football again."
On being substituted at halftime in defeat to Real Sociedad, De Jong added: “First I received a blow to the muscle next to my shin and then another kick, but it had nothing to do with my knee or ankle. I knew it wasn't a serious injury , but it bothered me a lot.”