Jong Oranje coach Erwin van de Looi was very critical of Myron Boadu on Tuesday evening before and after the European Championship qualifier against Young Wales (5-0 win). The striker has lost his base place and had to watch from the bench for ninety minutes in Nijmegen, while Van de Looi had five other players come in. According to the trainer, the 20-year-old AS Monaco attacker has not shown his best side in the past week.
As a striker for AZ, Boadu scored highly and even made his debut in the Dutch national team. Last summer he made the move to AS Monaco, where he plays regularly but is still waiting for his first goal. At the Dutch Juniors he lost his base place. Van de Looi placed him on the bench against Young Switzerland (2-2) last week and did not let him play at all against Young Wales. It was therefore a painful evening for Boadu, who saw a competitor drop out injured with Brian Brobbey. Van de Looi preferred PEC Zwolle striker Daishawn Redan against Wales.
“You just have to supply energy, we think that has not happened enough,” said Van de Looi prior to the match. ESPN about the situation of Boadu. “We have looked openly and honestly at what he has brought. We know Myron is in a difficult situation, he doesn’t play too much at his club and he has a hard time with us too. Then you want to give a player confidence and set him up, get to work with him. It would be nice if that is possible. But what a player should always do – and what you can expect – is go for it and show that he wants to get better and fight back to a certain level.”
Van de Looi believes that Boadu has shown too little on the training field. “That’s why we choose Daishawn Redan, a boy who does have a lot of energy,” said the trainer. “You can in any case expect everyone to bring a certain competition attitude, energy and drive. It’s not about someone being out of shape, or missing an opportunity. It’s easy to say you’re going for it, but it’s about what you show every day in training and in competitions. You always have to measure that honestly.”
“I do know that he has a certain status, and I also understand that this raises questions,” the trainer continued. “But I think this is the fair choice at the moment. It’s not meant as a signal by the way, this is a choice because we want to win that match, but Myron has to take it as a signal. I think he has to do something with this.” After the big win over Wales, Van de Looi briefly discussed Boadu’s situation again. “Everyone wants to help you, but it has to come from within yourself first. I missed that. An observation, that’s all,” he concluded.