Vincent Janssen, Jerdy Schouten and Bruno Martins Indi are part of the final selection of the Dutch national team for next month’s Nations League matches.
Bologna midfielder Schouten makes his debut in the Orange squad. The 25-year-old South Hollander played in the Netherlands for ADO Den Haag, Telstar and Excelsior, after which he made the switch to Bologna in the summer of 2019. He is normally assured of a starting spot at the Serie A club.
Schouten’s name is remarkable, because he was not part of the thirty-man pre-selection that national coach Louis van Gaal announced two weeks ago. The same applies to AZ defender Martins Indi. The 34-time international played his last international match in June 2017.
The 27-year-old Janssen is also preparing for his return to the Dutch national team. The attacker of the Mexican Monterrey does miss the Nations League match with Belgium on June 3, because he gets married two days later. The seventeen-time international will still join after his marriage.
Jordy Clasie, Arnaut Danjuma Groeneveld, Luuk de Jong, Rick Karsdorp, Marten de Roon and Owen Wijndal were in the preliminary selection, just like Janssen, but did not survive the last selection. Georginio Wijnaldum was not in the provisional selection and is definitely not part of it. The midfielder is passed, because he plays little at Paris Saint-Germain.
Goalkeeper Justin Bijlow also does not report in Zeist on Monday. The goalkeeper made his return on Wednesday in the Conference League final of Feyenoord against AS Roma (0-1 loss) after months of absence due to a foot injury, but was nevertheless not called up by Van Gaal.
Orange squad (26 players)
- Goalkeepers: Jasper Cillessen (Valencia), Mark Flek (SC Freiburg), Tim Krul (Norwich City)
- Defenders: Nathan Aké (Manchester City), Daley Blind (Ajax), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan), Hans Hateboer (Atalanta), Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus), Tyrell Malacia (Feyenoord), Bruno Martins Indi (AZ), Jordan Teze (PSV), Jurriën Timber (Ajax), Stefan de Vrij (Inter Milan)
- Midfielders: Steven Berghuis (Ajax), Frenkie de Jong (FC Barcelona), Davy Klaassen (Ajax), Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta), Jerdy Schouten (Bologna), Guus Til (Feyenoord)
- Attackers: Steven Bergwijn (Tottenham Hotspur), Memphis Depay (FC Barcelona), Cody Gakpo (PSV), Vincent Janssen (CF Monterrey), Noa Lang (Club Brugge), Wout Weghorst (Burnley)
Jerdy Schouten is one of the most striking names in the Orange squad.
Jerdy Schouten is one of the most striking names in the Orange squad. Photo: Getty Images
Orange plays four games in June
National coach Van Gaal says that his surprising choice for Janssen, Schouten and Martins Indi is based on the short preparation time for the World Cup. “Only this period and in September do we still have the chance to see new players at work. That is why I now choose Bruno Martins Indi, Jerdy Schouten and Vincent Janssen.”
“These are interesting players that I would like to experience up close during a training camp, although I already know some of them. I do want to emphasize that everyone remains in the picture, including the players who have not received an invitation.”
The Dutch national team is waiting for a total of four matches in the Nations League in June. Van Gaal’s team will face Belgium (June 3, Brussels), Wales (June 8 in Cardiff and June 14 in Rotterdam) and Poland (June 11, Rotterdam).
It will be the first games of Orange with Edgar Davids as assistant national coach. The former midfielder was recently appointed as the successor of Henk Fraser, who was not allowed to continue as Van Gaal’s right hand from his new club FC Utrecht.
In September, the Orange squad will play two more Nations League matches, after which Van Gaal’s team can fully focus on the World Cup in Qatar (November 21 to December 18). The Dutch national team is in a group with Senegal, Qatar and Ecuador.