Leeds United’s Pascal Struijk was included in the Netherlands’ provisional squad before Louis van Gaal left him out of the final list for the UEFA Nations League matches against Poland and Belgium later this month.
The 23-year-old is yet to make his international debut at the highest level and is eligible to represent Oranje or Belgium. On September 12th, the defender admitted representing the Netherlands is his first choice.
Van Gaal’s decision to leave him out of the final squad for the upcoming two international fixtures meant the Leeds player had to wait to make his senior debut for Oranje.
That could change following an injury to AZ Alkmaar’s Bruno Martins Indi during his side’s 2-1 defeat to Ajax on Sunday. His manager, Pascal Jansen, believes Martins Indi cannot be fit for the clashes against Poland and Belgium,
Jansen’s comments are relayed by De Gelderlander and they then tag the Leeds centre-back. It’s claimed Struijk ‘seems to be a logical replacement’ to Martins Indi, considering he was part of the provisional squad.
Apart from Jesse Marsch’s man, Newcastle United’s Sven Botman, who has been included in the Netherlands U21 squad, is also an option.
It needs to be seen whether Van Gaal will pick the Leeds player, Botman or someone else to replace the AZ captain.
