Thijs Dallinga has responded on Instagram to a serious knee injury. The 26-year-old FC Köln striker tore his cruciate ligament on Saturday afternoon, and his season now looks all but over.
"Unfortunately, a nightmare became reality yesterday," Dallinga wrote on Instagram on Sunday. "I still can’t believe what happened."
"It is difficult to accept this. But I will do everything I can to come back as soon as possible. Until then, I will fully support the team and this wonderful club, so that the season can still go well. Thank you for all the messages I have received. I will be back."
Dallinga suffered the injury on Saturday afternoon in the friendly against local rivals Viktoria Köln. A few hours later, FC Köln confirmed he had sustained a cruciate ligament injury and will be out for several months.
Last summer, Dallinga joined on loan from Bologna. He made a dream Bundesliga debut on 29 August, coming on in the 66th minute and turning a 1-2 deficit against TSG Hoffenheim into a 3-2 win with two goals.
Across the next two matches in which he was available, he failed to score. That means his season tally will very likely stay at two goals. It also leaves open the real possibility that he has already played his last match for Köln, although the German club do have the option to sign Dallinga permanently after this season.
So far, the right-footed player has won one cap for the Netherlands. He made his debut for the Dutch national team on 21 November 2023 in the European Championship qualifier against Gibraltar (0-6).