Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong will miss the start of the new season and is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining a knee ligament injury.
The 29-year-old featured in all four of the Netherlands' matches at this summer's World Cup, where they were eliminated by Morocco in the Round of 32. He returned to Barcelona this week carrying the injury.
"Medical tests have confirmed that De Jong has suffered a tear of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee," the Spanish champions confirmed on Thursday.
"The player will continue to undergo treatment under the supervision of the club's medical staff, with his progress to be assessed over the coming weeks."
Barcelona have not provided a timeline for De Jong's recovery, though surgery has been ruled out for the time being.
There is no possibility that the Dutch midfielder will be available for Barça's LaLiga opener against Elche on Aug. 23. In the worst-case scenario, he could be sidelined for several months.
Later on Thursday, De Jong issued a statement addressing claims that he had put his national team ahead of his club by continuing to play through the injury during the World Cup.
"It's difficult for me to see people questioning my relationship and commitment to the club because of false reports," De Jong said.
"Football is everything to me. I have always given everything I have for Barcelona and my country. That is why I want to share what happened.
"During the World Cup, I injured my knee. After the first assessments, the doctors told me it was a small injury and that it wouldn't get worse if I continued playing.
"The only challenge was playing with some pain, but throughout my career I have done that whenever I could contribute to the team, both for my club and my country.
"Further examinations [in Barcelona later] showed that the injury was more serious than initially determined. Thankfully, at this stage there is no need for surgery, and I am now fully focused on my recovery and returning to the pitch as soon as possible."
De Jong endured several fitness setbacks last season, most of which were muscle-related.
He missed the final 11 matches of the campaign because of a hamstring injury but recovered in time to represent the Netherlands at the World Cup in North America.
After playing 90, 59 and 72 minutes in the group-stage matches against Japan, Sweden and Tunisia, De Jong went on to play 110 minutes in the Netherlands' penalty shootout defeat to Morocco.
