Watford defender Daryll Janmaat has revealed he is eyeing up one more year in the Premier League before a return to the Netherlands.
The Dutch defender joined the Hornets from Newcastle in an £8m deal in 2016 and has proven to be a hit at the club, making 85 appearances to date.
That led them to hand him a contract extension last summer, with the 30-year-old signing a three-year deal that is set to run until 2022.
However, it seems he has no intention of seeing out that time at Watford and is instead eyeing up a return to his homeland.
“I signed up with Watford last season and am under contract until the summer of 2022,” he told BN Destem.
“I want another season of real celebration in the Premier League; then I want to go back to the Netherlands.
“Yeah, that was in my head a year ago, but then the desired club didn’t come along.
“It’s England and then Holland, I’m honest. I don’t need another country anymore.
“The children would like to go back, and I think it would have been nice. Then I had a wonderful adventure abroad.”
A knee injury saw him miss most of the campaign and while he had been expected to return before the end of the season, that has now been curtailed.
Instead, Janmaat finds himself recovering again after suffering an infection that the Watford man describes as simple ‘bad luck’.
“A bacteria in the knee. Really just bad luck. I lay there for a while.
“In March we agreed with the club that I could go back to the Netherlands. Orthopedist Kerkhoffs in Amsterdam, who treats many top athletes, has completely cleaned the joint.
“It was right at the end of the season, so the discussion in England about whether or not to play out the league has gone a little past me.”
Janmaat is, of course, referring to the decision to continue the Premier League season, with the league set to return on Wednesday.
Football in England was suspended in the middle of March and looked likely to be curtailed as several attempts to revive it fell by the wayside.
However, the Premier League has now worked out a strategy to return, following the example of the Bundesliga, which was the first league in Europe to do so.
Janmaat won’t be a part of it but says he would have played, as it’s no different than going to the supermarket.
“If I’d had to play, I certainly would have dared. Twenty-two tested players on a field, what could go wrong?” he added.
“I didn’t talk to Troy (Deeney) about it, but I understood he hasn’t been around for a while. By the way, those guys who tested positive didn’t suffer from anything.
“And they’re testing the players all the time. Of course, there are major problems with the virus all over the world, but I’ve never been scared.
“Playing football seems a lot safer than visiting the supermarket. And that’s where I’m just gonna go.”
