Football
Ian Maatsen joins Netherlands squad after De Jong drops out – DutchNews.nl
Borussia Dortmund defender Ian Maatsen has been called up to the Netherlands squad as a last-minute replacement for the injured Frenkie de Jong.
Head coach Ronald Koeman confirmed after last night’s friendly match against Iceland that De Jong would not recover in time from an ankle injury to play any part in the tournament in Germany.
Maatsen was on holiday in Greece on Monday when he was told to fly back and prepare for the tournament, less than a week before the Dutch take on Poland in Hamburg in their opening match.
It was an unexpected reprieve for the 22-year-old, who was one of four players to be dropped from Koeman’s 30-man provisional squad when the line-up was finalised two weeks ago.
Maatsen has made an impact since joining Dortmund on loan from Chelsea in the winter break and played in the Champions League final against Real Madrid, losing 2-0.
Although his favoured position is left back, Maatsen can also play in midfield, making him a potential replacement for the absent De Jong.
Koeman must also wait to see if another key midfielder, Teun Koopmeiners, passes a fitness test after he suffered a groin strain during the warm-up for the match against Iceland in Rotterdam, which Oranje won 4-0.
The coach was pessimistic about the Atalanta player’s chances of recovering in time. “It doesn’t look good,” he said. “But maybe it’ll go our way this time. We’ll do some tests and then we’ll know.”
Koeman called it a “dramatic” twist in the 26-year-old’s fortunes. “If there’s a guy who deserves his chance to shine for Oranje, it’s Koopmeiners,” he said.
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