-
Tom Hamilton, Senior Writer
Netherlands supervisor Ronald Koeman has really acknowledged Steven Bergwijn prioritised financial aspiration over his very personal displaying off objectives after ending a EUR25 million ($ 27.6 m) relocate to Saudi Pro League facet Al Ittihad, together with he will definitely rule out the onward for worldwide duty for the close to future.
Bergwijn’s step from Ajax to Al Ittihad was revealed on Monday, and it has really agitated Koeman that acknowledged the switch is varied to the state of affairs of Georginio Wijnaldum when he left PSG for Al Ettifaq in September 2023.
“Georginio Wijnaldum once went that way because he had a problem at Paris Saint-Germain,” Koeman acknowledged. “He could only go to that country to play football until January. In Bergwijn’s case is that he goes at the age of 26, sporting ambition does not prevail. Not everyone thinks, fortunately, the same way. I think when you are 26 the main ambition should be sporting and not financial, but those are choices players make.”
Bergwijn will definitely play underneath Laurent Blanc in Saudi Arabia in a gaggle that consists of N’Golo Kanté, Karim Benzema, Fabinho, Houssem Aouar, Predrag Rajkovic and Moussa Diaby.
Koeman acknowledged Bergwijn was not duty-bound to make use of up the Saudi deal.
“He could have stayed at Ajax, couldn’t he? And I think they pay OK at Ajax too. But yes, it’s his choice,” he acknowledged.
“I haven’t been in that situation myself. I could go to Barcelona. I think if Bergwijn could have gone to Barcelona, he wouldn’t have gone to Saudi Arabia either.”
The step desires to have really injured Bergwijn’s potentialities of contributing to his 35 caps for the Netherlands.
“The book is basically closed for him, though,” Koeman acknowledged of Bergwijn’s worldwide potentialities. “He has not contacted me about this. I think he knows how I think about this.”
Meanwhile, captain Virgil van Dijk has really devoted his future to the Netherlands until the 2026 World Cup on the very least, Koeman verified on Tuesday.
Koeman acknowledged he flew to Liverpool to have in individual talks with Van Dijk.
“I thought it was so important to go to him to see and feel with him: are you going to give it your all for another two years at the highest level and do you still see a future for yourself? And he does. And I do the same with him. All doubt is gone, he just goes on,” Koeman acknowledged.
“He admitted he did not reach the level you would expect from him as a player at the European Championship. As captain, I think he did a great job. But perhaps as a result, he put too much energy into others rather than into himself.”
