Newcastle United star Sven Botman’s refusal to play for the Netherlands U21s could cost him a place at the World Cup in Qatar.
That’s according to FC Update, who list him as one of the potential ‘World Cup surprises’ for Louis van Gaal’s squad.
They explain that Botman was the surprise star of Lille’s title, and he is enjoying a similar rise with Newcastle, who are yet to lose a game with him on the pitch after signing him in the summer.
He’s already been earning rave reviews for his performances, with manager Eddie Howe recently praising his displays and the French media equally impressed.
Whilst being a solid defender, he also has an eye for a pass and is comfortable on the ball, all attributes that would see him fit perfectly into Van Gaal’s Netherlands squad.
There is, though, one ‘downside’ and that is his recent decision to refuse to play for the country’s Under 21s.
He was called up to the squad for the recent international break but withdrew from the squad, citing a desire to focus on playing for the senior team.
Such actions ‘often do not go down very well’ with Van Gaal, who has always taken a hard-line approach with his players and is unlikely to have been impressed.
It could see the Newcastle star, who was already only likely to be a backup in the squad anyway, miss out on his place in Qatar entirely.
We’ll have to wait and see.
