Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman has put an end to any speculation over who will be his starting goalkeeper for this international break, making it clear Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen is his man.
That’s according to 1908.nl, who cover comments from the Netherlands manager today amid the ongoing drama over the goalkeeper position in his squad.
Koeman has been bouncing between various goalkeeping options since the summer after an injury to Justin Bijlow forced him to look elsewhere.
The main battle has been between Brighton’s Verbruggen and Brentford’s Mark Flekken, with both handed chances in the last few months.
Verbruggen was the man in between the sticks in the last international break, playing 90 minutes in the loss to France and win over Greece, the former being his international debut.
He managed to impress in those games, at least more than Flekken, who had put in shaky performances in the wins over Greece and Republic of Ireland when he was handed his chance to impress.
And it will be the Brighton man who is starting in this international week as a result, something Koeman confirmed today.
“I sat down with goalkeepers this morning and said who is going to keep goal. That will be Bart Verbruggen,” he is quoted as saying.
“This group of goalkeepers comes close to the ideal situation at the moment. Bart did well in October. I think it makes sense based on the past two games that Bart is goalkeeper.
“You want peace at the back, especially with goalkeepers. It’s crazy to have someone else on target every time in the last four periods.
“In March, and hopefully at the European Championships, we will see again who is in the best shape,” said Koeman, who did not think it was a big blow for Bijlow. “I didn’t notice anything about him.”
