Justin Bijlow is happy with his new chance at the Dutch national team. The Feyenoord goalkeeper was included by national coach Frank de Boer in the 34-man pre-selection for the friendly match against Spain and the Nations League duels with Bosnia-Herzegovina and Poland. Bijlow realizes that he is not yet assured of a place in the final group, but is eager to end up there.

The goalkeeper is one of the stars at Feyenoord this season. Still, he was left out last month: then De Boer chose Jasper Cillessen (Valencia), Marco Bizot (AZ) and Tim Krul (Norwich City) as options under the bar for the international matches against Mexico (0-1 defeat), Bosnia -Herzegovina (0-0) and Italy (1-1). They are now part of the pre-selection again and eventually one of the four keepers will drop out; on Friday, November 6, De Boer will announce who that is. At the press conference of Feyenoord prior to the Europa League against Wolfsberger AC on Thursday evening, Bijlow is asked about his place in the selection.

Bijlow was told on Sunday after the game against RKC Waalwijk (2-2) that he was in the preliminary selection. “Van Ramon ten Hove on the bus back from Waalwijk. It is of course nice to hear, but it is only the pre-selection. The final selection will be announced next week and that is more important than the preliminary selection”, the keeper acknowledges. “If I expected it? I just have to do my best and then I will see if I am there. Before the previous international period, I said that I might have expected that I would at least be in the pre-selection. was not the case. “

This time he does get the chance from De Boer. “Now it is my job to get to the final selection”, says Bijlow, who received a great compliment from his trainer Dick Advocaat at the press conference. The trainer finds it ‘logical’ that his pupil has been admitted. “He has everything you need as a goalkeeper for a goalkeeper. He is fast, he has reactions and he gets his goal out. He always reminds me of the Bayern Munich goalkeeper (Manuel Neuer red.) Bijlow is “He’s a boss, I like that. His goal must be to become the first goalkeeper of the Dutch national team. Whether that is feasible in the short term? The national coach will decide that.”