Luuk de Jong has been called up to the Netherlands squad after PSV Eindhoven teammate Jurgen Locadia was forced to pull out through injury.
- By Michael Bell
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The striker is in great form for PSV Eindhoven and was in line to make his Oranje debut in the friendlies with Scotland and Romania. However, after consulting with Netherlands team doctor Edwin Goedhart, he has been forced to pull out.
Locadia has been struggling with a knee issue recently and it was decided it would be unwise for the forward to take part in the friendly double bill.
Locadia told the PSV website, “A big disappointment because there were opportunities for me. I feel good and there are also others injured. Unfortunately, I am too.”
Dick Advocaat has decided to replace Locadia with Luuk de Jong, who will be the only recognised centre-forward after Bas Dost and Vincent Janssen were also forced out.
What a farce. Injuries or not, De Jong has no business being anywhere near the national team. Playing for Oranje used to be a privilege earned through hard work and good club performances abroad. Now it seems like playing second-rate domestic football for PSV and Ajax, even when those teams are doing nothing in European football, is enough to get you called.
What a sad state of affairs.
Weghorst? If you are just going to call people up why not call somebody up that’s been scoring? Van Wolfswinkel? I’m sure there are many other players that you could hand this opportunity to that are playing close to the top of their game! I don’t mind Padt being called up to play between the sticks, let’s face it he’s there to train and keep the bench warm, he’s done his time and played well and captain of his club. If Sneijder wasn’t called up because he wasn’t playing for Nice, why can de Jong get called up to be the lone striker in this squad? Disgust! Koeman and de Boer for manager. Fix it!
Agreed. Weghorst is certainly worth considering, especially for friendly matches! I had thought about Van Wolfswinkel as well – he’s hurt right now but a smart manager should definitely consider him in the future when he comes back healthy.