Fitness specialist Raymond Verheijen believes Sunderland star Brian Brobbey suffered a blow with the Netherlands because he trained too hard on his recovery days.
The striker started in the national team’s 1-1 draw against Germany on September 24th. He suffered a hamstring injury, forcing him to leave the pitch in the 35th minute.
Brobbey’s setback forced him to withdraw from Xavi’s squad and return to Sunderland.
Overload blamed for Sunderland man’s injury
The 24-year-old initially didn’t enjoy regular game time since arriving at the Stadium of Light from Ajax last September.
After a few months, he cemented his place at Sunderland and finished his debut season with seven goals and an assist. His performances helped him return to Oranje squad in March and has been a regular since then.
Brian Brobbey has played 2,777 minutes for Sunderland and the Netherlands since arriving in England.
Two days ago, Dutch doctor Cees-Rein van den Hoogenband explained the frontman has suffered a bad hamstring injury.
Raymond Verheijen has been speaking to De Telegraaf to focus on the Sunderland man’s setback. He says the Dutchman’s setback could have avoided with the national team and Mee Met Oranje have relayed his comments.
“Brobbey is a very explosive player. And he has the muscles of Usain Bolt, whereas less explosive players have the muscles of a marathon runner. To put it somewhat exaggeratedly,” he said.
“Brobbey needs 72 hours to recover from Manchester City [on September 20th]. If you train Brobbey hard on the days he needs recovery, then instead of shaking off the fatigue from Manchester City, he is only increasing that fatigue further.”
| Brian Brobbey — club stats, all competitions | 2024/25 | 2025/26 | 2026/27 so far |
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Ajax | Sunderland | Sunderland |
| Appearances | 44 | 32 | 6 |
| Starts | 33 | 22 | 5 |
| Minutes played | 2,326 | 1,967 | 424 |
| Goals | 7 | 7 | 3 |
| Assists | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Goal contributions | 13 | 8 | 3 |
| Minutes per goal | 332 | 281 | 141 |
Fixture congestion impacting players
The Netherlands and other European countries are playing four matches in the UEFA Nations League during this international break. This international calendar is between September 21st and October 6th.
Raymond Verheijen blames UEFA for adding extra matches.
“You are going to play even more matches in a short period of time. Especially with UEFA’s current model, where you have to play again 72 hours later,” Verheijen explained.
“You don’t play international matches during the season. The advantage of that is that club football is not interrupted, and players do not have to travel continuously and constantly switch between different training methods.”
Régis Le Bris’ side will host Brighton & Hove Albion on October 10th, and Brian Brobbey’s involvement for this clash remains uncertain.
