It has been nearly three years since the Netherlands won the 2018 U17 European Championships with a penalty shootout win over Italy. Michael Bell takes a look at the Netherlands squad on that day and how their careers are going at the moment.
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Joey Koorevaar
The Netherlands penalty shootout hero, Koorevaar made several big saves during the tournament for the Netherlands.
Now 20-years-old, Koorevaar’s season has been ruined with the U21 season ended early due to coronavirus. His contract is up in the summer and at the moment it is unclear whether Feyenoord are interested in extending it. Koorevaar well down the pecking order in Rotterdam.
Mees Bakker
Netherlands back-up goalkeeper for the tournament, Bakker made one appearance during the tournament.
Bakker has since moved onto make several appearances for Netherlands U19’s, replacing Koorevaar as the preferred goalkeeper. He has also made his professional debut with Jong AZ in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie. He has made seven appearances this season. He has also appeared on the bench for AZ’s first-team but is not close to his debut yet.
Jurrien Timber
Was a key player for Netherlands at right-back during the tournament, and scored in the final. He also netted in the penalty shootout.
Timber has since gone from strength to strength and is now a key part of Erik ten Hag’s Ajax first-team. His versatility has been key for Ajax, with Timber filling in at centre-back and on the right.
The 19-year-old has made 17 appearances for Ajax this season and has excelled. He is also a part of the Netherlands U21 squad now.
Liam van Gelderen
Played at centre-back during the tournament and was one of the Netherlands key players in the win.
Van Gelderen has since been converted into a right-back and has made his professional debut for Jong Ajax in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie. This season, Van Gelderen has been held back by constant injuries which have limited him to only four appearances.
The 19-year-old is still highly rated in Amsterdam and has a contract until 2023. He will be hoping to put injuries behind him over the next few months.
Christopher Mamengi
Starting centre-back during the tournament, Mamengi was very impressive alongside Van Gelderen.
The 19-year-old has made over 50 appearances for Jong Utrecht in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie and is highly regarded by the club. Mamengi made his first-team debut this season in the KNVB Cup, which remains his only appearance so far. However, he has made the bench on a number of occasions and an Eredivisie appearance cant be too far off.
Ramon Hendriks
The versatile defender made an excellent impression during the tournament at left-back.
Since the tournament, Hendriks has moved into the centre of defence for Feyenoord’s U21’s. However, his season has been hampered by the lack of games due to coronavirus. In January, he joined NAC Breda on loan and has since excelled in his first professional games. He has made seven appearances and has twice been named in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie’s team of the week. A first-team debut for Feyenoord next season could be on the cards now.
Nordin Musampa
Musampa remained on the bench for the final and only made one appearance at the tournament.
The centre-back is highly rated in Amsterdam though, and has been a regular for Jong Ajax this season. He has made 19 appearances so far in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie.
The 19-year-old is coming into his final year of his contract in Amsterdam and will be hoping to earn himself a new contract.
Bram Franken
Franken made a good impression at the tournament during three appearances, but was left on the bench for the final.
The now 20-year-old is now a part of Jong AZ Alkmaar’s squad and has made 12 appearances this season.
A defensive midfielder, Franken is not yet living up to the potential that he showed in youth football, and is coming into the final year of his deal in Alkmaar.
Quinten Timber
Like his brother, Quinten Timber was a regular during the tournament in midfield. He started the final in midfield.
The 19-year-old is versatile but is at his best as a defensive midfielder. He has made seven appearances for Jong Ajax this season but has missed most of the campaign after a lengthy injury.
Timber has appeared on the bench for Ajax in their last two games so a first-team debut is not far off. Another set of brothers set to play in an Ajax shirt.
Wouter Burger
Burger was one of the standout players for Netherlands during the tournament with his displays at DM impressive throughout. He was brave enough to take the first penalty in the final and scored.
Burger made his first-team debut for Feyenoord in 2018, and looked set to be a regular last season under Dick Advocaat. However, he lost his place and was sent on loan to Excelsior. This season, he has also been loaned out, this time to Sparta Rotterdam. The 20-year-old has made 12 appearances for Sparta in a frustrating campaign.
The midfielder is waiting for a chance to prove himself, which may come next season when Arne Slot becomes head coach of Feyenord.
Kenzo Goudmijn
The attacking midfielder made three appearances throughout the tournament but remained on the bench for the final.
Highly rated by AZ Alkmaar, Goudmijn has made nearly 80 appearances for Jong AZ in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, scoring six goals and adding eight assists. His first-team opportunities have been limited to four.
However, he has been a regular on the bench in recent weeks and made his first Eredivisie appearance of the campaign recently. The 19-year-old has signed a new deal until 2024 and will come into the first-team more next season.
Ryan Gravenberch
The youngster of the squad, Gravenberch excelled in the tournament and was one of the stars of the final.
Since the tournament, Gravenberch has continued to impress and live up to his vast potential. He has become key for Erik ten Hag this season and has made 31 appearances already with Ajax still in the running for three trophies.
Still only 18, Gravenberch has become one of Europe’s most impressive midfielders and is expected to make his Netherlands debut soon. A supreme talent.
Nigel Thomas
Thomas was a back-up in the squad and only made two appearances during the tournament. He remained on the bench for the final.
The now 20-year-old is part of the Jong PSV Eindhoven squad in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, making 24 appearances so far, scoring four times.
Thomas has one year left on his contract in Eindhoven and doesn’t appear to be close to a first-team debut at the moment. He may be heading for a new club in the summer.
Crysencio Summerville
Summerville made five appearances at the tournament on the wing and scored once. He came on during the final.
The forward was a part of Feyenoord’s academy at the time and was considered one of the club’s biggest talents. He joined Dordrecht on loan during the 2018/19 season, scoring five goals for the club. He was then loaned to ADO Den Haag last season and made 21 appearances in the Eredivisie, scoring twice.
In the summer, Summerville was expected to be part of the Feyenoord first-team but did not feel confident about his chances. Leeds United swooped to sign him, and the 19-year-old is currently excelling for their U21 squad, scoring four goals and giving five assists. He will be hoping for a chance in the first-team soon.
Elayis Tavsan
A starter in the final, Tavsan made five appearances during the tournament and impressed with his pace and trickery on the wing.
At the time of the tournament, Tavsan was with Sparta Rotterdam, but he only made one appearance for the club. He spent time on loan with Telstar, before joining NEC Nijmegen permanently last year.
This season, Tavsan has been impressive, eight times and adding six assists in 25 appearances in the Keueken Kampioen Divisie. The forward is showing potential in the second division and the 19-year-old will be aiming to eventually make it to the Eredivisie.
Mohamed Ihattaren
A dazzler on the wing for Netherlands during the tournament, Ihattaren got an assist in the final and scored in the penalty shootout.
Regarded as one of the most gifted players that has ever come through the PSV academy, Ihattaren made his first-team debut in 2019. He has since gone on to make 70 appearances, scoring nine goals and adding 10 assists.
However, Ihattaren has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons this season with a number of run ins with head coach Roger Schmidt. The 19-year-old’s attitude has been called into question and he was recently dropped from the first-team squad. With only a year left on his deal, an exit from PSV is rumoured with Ajax circling.
Ihattaren’s international future is still not clear as well with the youngster announcing his decision to represent Netherlands over a year ago. However, he still has not made his debut thanks to injury. That still gives Morocco hope of pinching him from Oranje.
A superb young player, who has a huge future if he can knuckle down and concentrate on his football.
Toshio Lake
The striker made one appearance at the tournament and got himself an assist. However, he remained on the bench for the tournament.
Lake is a regular for Feyenoord’s youth teams but the 19-year-old has not yet come into contention for the first-team. The lack of youth football has impacted Lake, who has only been able to play twice for Feyenoord’s U21’s.
Lake wants to leave Feyenoord and was linked with a move to Arsenal last year which did not happen. It is unclear what will happen in the summer for the striker.
Brian Brobbey
Another one of the younger players in the squad, Brobbey came off the bench in the final and scored. He got three goals in the tournament and was the only one in the squad to return a year later as Netherlands defended the title.
Brobbey was a goal machine at youth level and has broken into the first-team with Ajax this season. In 10 appearances, he has three goals so far.
However, Brobbey has decided not to sign a new deal in Amsterdam and has been linked with a move to RB Leipzig. Ajax are not giving up on convincing the 19-year-old to remain at the club.
Daishawn Redan
The Netherlands captain for the tournament, Redan scored three goals in the tournament. He started the final and played the full game without netting.
Redan started his career with Ajax but moved to Chelsea at a young age and was prolific for their youth teams. He was highly rated at youth level but never made it to the first team. He moved to Hertha Berlin in 2019 but was then loaned to Groningen. He made five appearances without scoring last season.
This season, Redan has made five short appearances for Hertha Berlin but is yet to find the net. The 20-year-old still has plenty of potential but has not yet shown he can make the step up from youth football.
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So good to have an update, your team on this site is great, keep up the good work!