Maarten Stekelenburg has a good chance of a return to the Dutch national team, according to Valentijn Driessen. According to the football chief The Telegraph it is far from impossible that the Ajax keeper will be one of the three keepers in the the Dutch selection at the European Championship next summer. According to him, the injuries of Feyenoord keeper Justin Bijlow play a role in this.
According to Driessen, it plays a role that national coach Frank de Boer knows the 38-year-old goalkeeper well. He points to the 2010 World Cup, when De Boer was assistant to Bert van Marwijk and the 58-time international defended the goal of the Dutch until the final. “Frank de Boer of course knows what Maarten Stekelenburg has to offer,” said Driessen about the keeper who played his last international match against Luxembourg (1-3 win) on 13 November 2016. “At Ajax you play a bit in a similar way to the Dutch national team, with a lot of space behind the defenders. So I think it would be an excellent choice to take him with him when he’s fit. ”
“I have to say when Stekelenburg came this way, I was a bit apprehensive because he has the image that he has not always lived as a top athlete”, Ajax watcher Mike Verweij adds. Stekelenburg is the first goalkeeper since André Onana was suspended for a year because he violated doping rules. “But the opposite turns out to be true, because he is fit, sharp and nobody is actually talking about Onana now that the storm has died down. That is very good, because he has played little in recent years but is excellent. ”
“You would also prefer to bring a talented goalkeeper with you, but if he is always injured,” Driessen refers to Bijlow, who had to sign out with the the Dutch at the end of last year due to an injury. “Imagine that you bring three keepers with you and he gets injured, and your first keeper also gets injured, then you have a player as reserve keeper.” According to Verweij, because of their age, it would be crazy if the Netherlands went to the European Championship with Jasper Cillessen (31), Tim Krul (32) and Stekelenburg. “But if they stop the balls,” Driessen responds. “And what you say about Bijlow, you cannot take that risk.”
At the end of March, the Dutch national team comes into action for the first time this year. The World Cup qualifying match against Turkey is scheduled for March 24, followed by qualifying matches with Latvia (March 27) and Gibraltar (March 30). For the the Dutch, the European Championship starts on June 13 with a game against Ukraine. Then the De Boer team will play group matches against Austria (June 17) and North Macedonia (June 21).