-
Tom Hamilton, Senior Writer
Netherlands supervisor Ronald Koeman has actually stated Steven Bergwijn prioritised economic aspiration over his very own showing off goals after finishing a EUR25 million ($ 27.6 m) relocate to Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad, including he will certainly rule out the onward for worldwide responsibility for the near future.
Bergwijn’s step from Ajax to Al Ittihad was revealed on Monday, and it has actually agitated Koeman that stated the transfer is various to the situation 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 stated. “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 certainly play under Laurent Blanc in Saudi Arabia in a group that consists of N’Golo Kanté, Karim Benzema, Fabinho, Houssem Aouar, Predrag Rajkovic and Moussa Diaby.
Koeman stated Bergwijn was not duty-bound to use 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 stated.
“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 wants to have actually injured Bergwijn’s possibilities of contributing to his 35 caps for the Netherlands.
“The book is basically closed for him, though,” Koeman stated of Bergwijn’s worldwide possibilities. “He has not contacted me about this. I think he knows how I think about this.”
Meanwhile, captain Virgil van Dijk has actually dedicated his future to the Netherlands till the 2026 World Cup at the very least, Koeman verified on Tuesday.
Koeman stated he flew to Liverpool to have in person 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 stated.
“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.”
