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Tom Hamilton, Senior Writer
Netherlands supervisor Ronald Koeman has truly said Steven Bergwijn prioritised financial aspiration over his very personal exhibiting 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 truly agitated Koeman that said the switch is varied to the scenario 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 said. “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 said 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 said.
“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 truly injured Bergwijn’s prospects of contributing to his 35 caps for the Netherlands.
“The book is basically closed for him, though,” Koeman said of Bergwijn’s worldwide prospects. “He has not contacted me about this. I think he knows how I think about this.”
Meanwhile, captain Virgil van Dijk has truly devoted his future to the Netherlands until the 2026 World Cup on the very least, Koeman verified on Tuesday.
Koeman said he flew to Liverpool to have in particular 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 said.
“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.”
