Netherlands have once again failed to qualify for the U21 European Championships and head coach Art Langeler will now oversee an overhaul of the current squad with a number of players no longer eligible to represent Jong Oranje.
- By Michael Bell
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Next year the U21 European Championships will take place in Poland but Netherlands interest in the tournament was ended on Tuesday when they failed to finish as one of the top four runners-up after a disappointing campaign which saw them come second in the group to Slovakia.
Attention now turns to Euro 2019 but a number of the current U21 squad will no longer be eligible for the age level when qualifying gets underway late next year. The rules state that only players who are 20 or under on the 1st of January of the year qualifying starts can participate for their country. So any players who are 21 or over in January have to give up on playing for Jong Oranje and that includes a number of the current squad.
The list of names no longer eligible are: Anwar El Ghazi (Ajax), Nathan Aké (Bournemouth), Joshua Brenet (PSV), Kenny Tete (Ajax), Karim Rekik (Marseille), Jean-Paul Boëtius (Basel), Lucas Woudenberg (Feyenoord), Yassin Ayoub (FC Utrecht), Ricardo Kishna (Lazio), Hidde Jurjus (PSV), Martin de Fockert (VVV-Venlo), Hans Hateboer (FC Groningen), Joris van Overeem (AZ), Vincent Vermeij (Heracles Almelo), Mickey van der Hart (PEC Zwolle), Wesley Hoedt (Lazio), Sven van Beek (Feyenoord), Daley Sinkgraven (Ajax), Jorrit Hendrix (PSV), Rick Karsdorp (Feyenoord), Queensy Menig (PEC Zwolle), Derrick Luckassen (AZ), Terence Kongolo (Feyenoord), Thom Haye (Willem II) and Kingsley Ehizibue (PEC Zwolle)
However, Langeler can still call upon the services of Ajax duo Riechedly Bazoer and Jairo Riedewald, along with PSV’s Bart Ramselaar. Kevin Diks (Fiorentina), Jerry st. Juste (SC Heerenveen), Steven Bergwijn (PSV), Donny van de Beek (Ajax), Timothy Fosu-Mensah (Manchester United), Dabney Dos Santos (AZ), Oussama Idrissi (FC Groningen) and Patrick Joosten (FC Utrecht) are also recent call-ups who are still available.
A number of debuts will have to be handed out over the next two years but the current U19 and U20 squads are packed full of talent and Ajax wonder-kid Abdelhak Nouri, PSV striker Sam Lammers, AZ’s Guus Til and Sparta Rotterdam sensation Rick van Drongelen are just some of the names who will hope to be included.
Possible Netherlands U21 future line-up: De Boer, Ter Avest, Diks, Fosu-Mensah, St Juste/van Drongelen, Ramselaar, van de Beek, Til/Nouri, Bergwijn, Dos Santos/Van Bergen, Lammers
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what about Zivkovic?!