Aston Villa star Anwar El Ghazi has admitted it was a shock and disappointment to miss out on the Netherlands squad for the European Championships this summer.
The Dutch forward enjoyed a stellar campaign with the Villans this season, scoring ten goals in 28 games in the Premier League.
That form had put him in contention for a spot in Frank de Boer’s squad, but that did not prove to be the case, with De Boer confirming as much publicly at the end of May.
He revealed El Ghazi would not be included during an appearance on Frank Evenblij’s TV programme Shirtje Ruilen, a decision that led to plenty of criticism for the Dutch boss.
There was a belief he should have called the Aston Villa man, and other unsuccessful players, in person before announcing the move.
It was later confirmed that he had done so, and it was simply a slip of the tongue, and now El Ghazi has reacted to the whole incident.
“Top-class sport is hard. You have to deal with setbacks; they are part of the game,” the Aston Villa man told Humberto Tan on RTL4, relayed by Voetbal International.
“Of course, I was disappointed, but the disappointment comes later.
“When you walk into the supermarket, you see those orange things. And when you see the players, you think: I could have been there too.
“But now I am over the disappointment. I can laugh about it now, but at the time it did shock me.”
