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For a while, maybe over a decade, there’s been a growing worry in the Netherlands about their youth football and players of the right level coming through.

Part of that has been a concern about young players moving overseas, often England, to join academies elsewhere, and then disappearing from view.

Things hit a low on Tuesday evening. Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf has an article explaining the country’s U21 team was beaten (2-1) by a team including bench sitters from both Celtic and Rangers.

Michael Johnston started the match and it’s probably unfair to call the Celtic player simply a ‘bench sitter’. Under Brendan Rodgers the 19 year old has made 6 appearances so far this season, and it’s likely there’s plenty more to come.

Ross and Robby McCrorie are thrown in the same boat. Ross McCrorie has also had several appearances so far this summer, and his bother is a goalkeeper so won’t be getting appearances in Steven Gerrard’s Rangers team yet, it’s natural for 20 year olds.

De Telegraaf seemed disgusted at their own team as they state: ‘In Doetinchem were the twins Ross and Robby McCrorie (two bench sitters of Rangers FC), Liam Smith (Ayr United in the second Scottish level), number ten Michael Johnston (Celtic bench) and striker Fraser Hornby (Everton’s youth player made the two goals) too strong for the Dutch talents.’

They contrast that with the Netherlands team which they clearly believe should have won, having more experience and at a higher level than the Scottish Premiership.

Now the Dutch U21s can’t qualify for the Euro tournament, and all the old doubts are returning. It’s been this way for a while, and still no solution has been found.

Maybe a little more respect should be given to the quality of the youngsters coming through in Scottish football.

Celtic’s Conor Hazard could also be described as a ‘bench sitter’ but the 20 year old goalkeeper is the toast of the Spanish media on Wednesday, having helped Northern Ireland U21s to an unlikely victory over Spain.

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