If it is up to Maarten Wijffels, Davy Klaassen will not go to EURO 2024 in Germany with the Netherlands. The journalist of it Algemeen Dagblad has included a list of forty names with players from which national coach Ronald Koeman can choose in Tuesday’s morning newspaper. Arsenal defender Jurriën Timber, who may not make it to the European Championship due to his serious knee injury, is number 41 as an exception. Klaassen (Internazionale) is a passe station for the Dutch team, according to Wijffels.
Thirty-year-old Klaassen left Ajax last summer for an adventure with Inter. So far, the Hilversummer has hardly been seen in Milan. Klaassen only played 72 official minutes i Nerazzurri, spread over 5 performances. Koeman ignored Klaassen during the past three international matches.
In the AD Football podcast Wijffels discusses the options for Koeman based on his article. The journalist states that the Dutch need a type like Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich). “A player who knows when you can become the extra attacker and when you can be the extra midfielder.”
In any case, Klaassen will no longer fulfill that role, Wijffels concludes. “He understands that game, but Klaassen is a reserve at Inter and is no longer in that list of forty names. He will not make it to the European Championship.” Wijffels thinks that Tijjani Reijnders, player of Inter rival AC Milan, may succeed Klaassen at the European Championship.
“I think Reijnders could do that,” said Wijffels. “That’s kind of it box to box-midfielder. But you will also look at Koeman’s previous period, because those are interesting things. Then Wijnaldum was the man who commuted. He had that dynamic too.”
Wijffels would like to see Reijnders as ‘number 10’ one day. “I would like to see that in March, for example against Germany, that Reijnders plays a position further forward.” Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool) is also a good option according to Wijffels. “He also remains a player with great potential and not without a chance for the European Championship.”
Important at the World Cup
Klaassen could count on a starting place no fewer than three times during the World Cup in Qatar under former national coach Louis van Gaal. During the opening match against Senegal (0-2 win), he had to settle for a short substitute appearance, in which he scored the second Dutch goal. Klaassen provided an assist against Ecuador (1-1) and Qatar (2-0 win).
Klaassen has played a total of 41 international matches for the Dutch team so far, in which he scored 10 goals and 7 assists. Van Gaal was also the national coach who allowed the born Ajax player to make his debut in the Dutch national team in 2014 at the age of 21.