Joël Veltman has been a regular at Brighton & Hove Albion since he arrived at the club from Ajax in 2020. The right-back has made 10 appearances this season and that includes five league starts.
On October 26th, the Seagulls will host Ajax in the Europa League and the tie will see the 31-year-old face his former club.
Ajax Life had a chat with the Brighton player to discuss the upcoming European fixture and a few other topics.
It’s not clear whether the Netherlands international will feature against his former club since there has been a lot of rotation at the Premier League side this season, and the defender has explained why Roberto De Zerbi has taken this approach.
“I’m fine. I played a lot over the past three years. Now we have an even stronger team, with more quality and competition. That’s why there is more rotation. Even if you play well, you sometimes end up on the bench, because then you can stay fit all season long,” he said.
The Dutchman believes there’s also another reason why there has to be a need for more rotation.
“You notice this especially in the pace. During my first matches here, I was surprised that the game went up and down quickly, even in injury time. The Dutch competition is very technical, but in terms of physicality this is a step higher,” Veltman explained.
Things haven’t been going well for the Brighton defender on the national team front as he last made an appearance for them in June 2021, at the European championship. Veltman has now accepted that he’ll be overlooked by Oranje manager Ronald Koeman.
When asked if Koeman’s refusal to include him in the squad surprised him, Veltman said: “Koeman wants boys who are in shape. I have been that way sometimes, but then he also has to like you as a player.
“That has unfortunately not been the case so far. I do my best and will continue to do so. But now you see, for example, that Jurriën Timber drops out and you are still not called up. Then you also have to be realistic and know that the chance is becoming smaller and smaller.”
