Frank de Boer described Davy Klaassen after the 3-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina as ‘a type of player you need in every team’. The national coach of the Dutch national team called the midfielder an ‘on-the-house-passer’, a synonym for football terms such as a vacuum cleaner or lawn mower. In the seventies and eighties, Willy van de Kerkhof was also ‘a vacuum cleaner’ and finds the presence of Klaassen in Orange only logical.

“It has been clear to me for some time that Klaassen belongs in it,” Van de Kerkhof tells it on Tuesday Algemeen Dagblad. “With Marten de Roon, Ronald Koeman had also brought such a type to Orange. They call him the breakwater in Italy. But Davy Klaassen is a lot better. When Ajax brought him back to the Netherlands this summer, I already said: pay attention, Klaassen will be back in Orange within three months. ”

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In his active career, Van de Kerkhof achieved 67 international matches and was a ‘vacuum cleaner’ for two generations of top players. “My game was a perfect fit for both generations,” says the former PSV player. “I compare Klaassen with myself, also serving, but blessed with more scoring ability than I do. I once asked Koeman when I saw him as national coach at PSV: why doesn’t Klaassen play for you? ‘Not in shape,’ said Ronald ”, the former Oranje-international recalls in the newspaper.

“But for me it’s simple: a bad Klaassen is still better than De Roon. When I was national coach, I gave him a fixed number, number 8. And he always played. ” Klaassen played his first international match in three years against Spain (1-1) last Wednesday. He came in after the break. In the meeting with Bosnia, he appeared at the starting signal and played his eighteenth international match.