Wednesday, April 28, 2021 at 8:05 AM• Yanick Vos • Last update: 08:34

National coach Frank de Boer may include three extra players in his final European Championship selection of the Dutch national team. Currently, the limit is still 23 internationals, but UEFA wants to increase the number by three for the countries that are preparing for this summer’s European Championship. René van der Gijp would know which extra players he would add to the the Dutch selection if he were in De Boer’s chair.

“I think I would take Gakpo and Gravenberch with me. They will not be lacking in strength, ”said Van der Gijp on Tuesday evening SBS6. Cody Gakpo has never been invited by De Boer to the Dutch national team. The 21-year-old PSV winger is in a strong period and has so far scored six goals and three assists in the Eredivisie this season. Gravenberch made his debut in the Dutch earlier this year.

Wout Weghorst also deserves a chance in the Dutch national team, according to Van der Gijp. De Boer has so far preferred Sevilla striker Luuk de Jong, which means that the striker of VfL Wolfburg was always left out. “You can’t take De Jong with you if Weghorst has 24 in it. That is not possible, ”says Van der Gijp. Weghorst has 20 goals after 31 Bundesliga matches. De Jong scored four times in LaLiga this season.

“I would try to play with three men in the back,” advises Van der Gijp. “Imagine having to play with Blind in the center of the defense, with Wijndal and Dumfries who are always away. Then I would add another one in the back ”, said Van der Gijp, who would play in the back with Stefan de Vrij, Daley Blind and Matthijs de Ligt in the absence of the injured Virgil van Dijk.

The corona pandemic is the main reason for giving the participating countries the opportunity to select 26 players for the European Championship. The overcrowded playing calendar is also taken into account by UEFA in the decision-making. Due to the corona crisis, many competitions started later, which means that most players who qualify for the European Championship have to play three matches almost every week. Including this summer’s final round, many players are going through a very tough season. UEFA therefore wants to meet the national coaches of the European Championship countries.