Bournemouth star Justin Kluivert says Ronald Koeman has given every Netherlands player a clear understanding of their role ahead of this summer’s World Cup, as competition for places intensifies in a talented Dutch midfield.
Voetbal Zone cover comments from the 27-year-old today as the Dutch gear up to kick off their campaign this weekend.
Netherlands battle underway
Justin Kluivert was a late addition to Koeman’s group after undergoing knee surgery earlier this year. That saw him miss 18 games for club and country, returning at the beginning of May.
Now he’s in but will be competing for minutes in one of the strongest areas of the Netherlands team.
Koeman has no shortage of midfield options. Frenkie de Jong, Ryan Gravenberch and Tijjani Reijnders are widely viewed in the Netherlands as his strongest combination, leaving players such as Kluivert to push for a role either from the start or off the bench.
Kluivert is well aware of the battle, even if there are questions over Reijnders following his difficult first season at Manchester City. Speaking to Vandaag Inside, Kluivert said Koeman had been direct with the squad about his plans.
“Koeman has spoken to everyone about their role and how he sees things at the moment,” he said.
“For the first match against Japan, but also for later in the tournament. So that you have a bit of an idea of your place in the team.
“He made that clear to me as well. I accept my role in the team, and I give 100% in every role. You just have to prove yourself. You never get any guarantees (about playing time,) from a manager.”
Offering something different
The Bournemouth forward is also more than aware of the talk about that dream midfield. But he believes that having options such as himself is also a benefit for the Netherlands this summer.
“We know there’s a lot of talk about the dream midfield: Frenkie, Gravenberch and Tijjani,” he added.
“We’ve got other options there too, like me. Perhaps that might work better for the Dutch national team. But again: we’re all good players, so it’s hard to say.”
