Willem van Hanegem fully understands the fact that Nicolai Jörgensen is not part of Feyenoord’s A-selection for the time being. The striker was removed from the selection by trainer Arne Slot after he made his wish to leave clear internally. In the meantime, the trainer does not want to keep the Dane with the group. A decision that Van Hanegem can understand, he tells ESPN. The former player has hardly been impressed by Jörgensen’s performance in recent years.
Van Hanegem is not really happy about Jörgensen to say the least. “Nowhere has he scored as many goals as here”, Van Hanegem refers to the 46 goals that Jörgensen has scored so far on behalf of Feyenoord. “But those guys forget everything. He’s just sick, weak and nauseous. If he has a blue nail, he can’t play. Thanks I think: guys, hurry up man. Doesn’t that make you sick? Slot has well done. If so, then you have to leave. Otherwise you are just in the way. If you want to stay fit, then you train separately.”
Jörgensen was a striking absentee on Monday, when Feyenoord trained for the first time in the run-up to the new season. “It is a very good thing,” continues Van Hanegem. “I have been annoyed with him for a few years. He had one great season. You have to think how it is possible that they became champions then. That is also very crazy. I was happy too, everyone was happy, “But you sometimes think how the hell it was possible. Then maybe they all played above their level, but it doesn’t matter. He benefited from that too.”
Feyenoord may be looking for a replacement for Jörgensen during the transfer period. Slot, however, first wants to see what the strikers who do belong to the selection have up their sleeve. “We have Bryan Linssen who completed it well last season, we have Róbert Bozenik who is coming back (from the European Championship, ed.), we have Naoufal Bannis and Dylan Vente, so in terms of numbers we are good”, sums up Dick Advocaat’s successor. on. “We have the time in the coming weeks to see how those guys are doing. Then we may have to strengthen ourselves in that position, but that could also be in a different position.”