Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman has released a preliminary squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches, and one notable omission is star forward Memphis Depay. The former Manchester United and Barcelona player is currently without a club after leaving Atletico Madrid and has been left out of the squad for the Group A3 matches against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Germany.
In addition to Depay’s absence, veteran midfielders Georginio Wijnaldum and Daley Blind are also missing from the squad. Blind recently announced his retirement from international football, while Wijnaldum is currently without a club. Frenkie de Jong, who missed the European Championship due to an ankle injury, is still recovering and not included in the squad.
However, the squad sees the inclusion of two English-based players for the first time: Crysencio Summerville, who recently moved to West Ham United from Leeds United, and Jan Paul van Hecke of Brighton & Hove Albion. Another notable call-up is 18-year-old defender Jorrel Hato from Ajax Amsterdam, who earned his first cap in November but missed out on the Euro 2024 squad.
The Dutch national team will face Bosnia & Herzegovina in Eindhoven on September 7th and Germany in Amsterdam three days later. Koeman will finalize his squad by cutting the preliminary list down to 23 players in two weeks.
Here is the complete list of players named in the preliminary squad:
Goalkeepers:
Justin Bijlow (Feyenoord), Mark Flekken (Brentford), Nick Olij (Sparta Rotterdam), Bart Verbruggen (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Defenders:
Nathan Ake (Manchester City), Matthijs de Ligt (Manchester United), Stefan de Vrij, Denzel Dumfries (both Inter Milan), Lutsharel Geertruida (Feyenoord), Jorrel Hato (Ajax Amsterdam), Ian Maatsen (Aston Villa), Jordan Teze (PSV Eindhoven), Jurrien Timber (Arsenal), Micky van de Ven (Tottenham Hotspur), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Midfielders:
Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen), Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta), Tijjani Reijnders (AC Milan), Jerdy Schouten (PSV Eindhoven), Xavi Simons (RB Leipzig), Kenneth Taylor (Ajax Amsterdam), Quinten Timber (Feyenoord), Joey Veerman (PSV Eindhoven), Mats Wieffer (Brighton & Hove Albion)
