If Hedwiges Maduro had been the national coach of the Dutch national team, he would have taken a fit Steven Berghuis to the European Championship. In the podcast The European Championship Sportpaleis the coach of Almere City FC indicated that he believes a player like Berghuis should have been there in Germany.

The 32-year-old Ajax striker missed a significant portion of last season due to a knee and back injury. Although he played in the last three matches, national coach Ronald Koeman decided not to take him to the European Championship.

When asked if Maduro finds it remarkable that Berghuis is not there, he answers: “Maybe not because of his injuries. He was not really fit in the last matches leading up to the European Championship. But in terms of type of player, he should have been there, I think. And also in terms of qualities. If he is just fit, I think he belongs there. A left-footer on that side is an extra weapon.”

Maduro worked closely with Berghuis as assistant coach at Ajax last season. “I think he is a fantastic player, so I hope he stays fit so he can be valuable again next season.”

“I was able to spar with him very well,” Maduro continues. “We often talked about game situations and you can see that he goes further.”

“It was of course a bit of a frustrating year, in which many things didn't work out. He is an emotional person, who can't keep many things to himself. You can see that directly in him. So I like that, I love that. He should just keep that, I think.”

Berghuis has played 46 matches for the Dutch national team so far, scoring 2 goals. His last international match was on 10 September last year, in and against Ireland (1-2 win).

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