Joshua Zirkzee
Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee has been left out of the Netherlands National team for their upcoming Nations League fixtures, as the manager insisted he is ‘not good enough’ to play for them at the moment.
Zirkzee made his senior international debut against Turkey at Euro 2024 and has been included in every squad since then, earning six caps.
However, his recent form, which has seen him score just twice in his last 18 games, has omitted him from selection, as Koeman insisted the 23-year-old did not ‘deserve’ to be called up.
Joining Zirkzee in being omitted from the Netherlands’ latest squad is defender Matthijs de Ligt.
The latter has also featured in every squad for his country when fit, since earning his first cap in 2017.
“He wasn’t in the preliminary selection because I don’t think he’s good enough at the moment,’ Koeman told Studio Voetbal about Zirkzee.
“We have a lot of central defenders and midfielders, but we are somewhat limited up front. But even then, I still think that you have to earn your selection, and I think he doesn’t deserve that now, but that could be the case again in another period,” he added on Zirkzee.