Jens Toornstra is working on his seventh season at Feyenoord and was honored against VVV-Venlo (6-0) last weekend for his 250th match in the service of the club. Robin van Persie thinks that his former teammate is often underexposed and states that his last good season was partly due to Toornstra in a personal sense. “In my eyes he is becoming a club legend at Feyenoord at this time”, the former football player assures in his column in The Telegraph.
Van Persie praises Toornstra for his fitness, commitment, goals and assists. “When I returned to Feyenoord I soon discovered how important he is to a team. But he was that for me personally too. He fulfilled his role in a great way and he still does. He picked up the meters that I sometimes had to make. In a way, we had a partnership that worked out really well for the team. (…) Jens ensured that I could be used to my strengths. ”
“Physically he is so strong that his incredible work ethic is never at the expense of his game. That did not happen then and not yet. He’s still scoring goals, he’s still giving assists, and he’s still that mile-eater. It is an extra quality of him that he is such a good runner. ” Van Persie would know if he were head coach. The almost 32-year-old Toornstra would be one of his first names. “If I were a trainer now, such a type would always play for me. Although I can just as enjoy players with a raw edge or guys who have the street mentality. It can do a little sanding. “
“That stimulates and that is also a challenge. But for a coach it is a dream to have a player like Jens in your team ”, Van Persie emphasizes. “In any case, I would always make room for such a versatile footballer. Such a type is mega important for all your creative players. A condition is that such a player is football intelligent. If you can manage in multiple positions – Jens has been right winger, ten, right half, left half, defensive midfielder, right back – you are an intelligent player. ”
Van Persie believes that Toornstra could have had much more than four international matches for the Dutch national team. “You have to be lucky with that, or a trainer sees it in such a type of player. I don’t think he had a fair chance. He has never been allowed to play a series of matches in a row. That has been a bit beyond his control. But he could just have gotten 25 international matches if that had happened. ”