Koeman reveals why he snubbed Gravenberch despite injury crisis

Ryan Gravenberch

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Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman has revealed why he snubbed Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch for an international call-up.

This follows his decision to stay with the Merseyside after his deadline-day move from Bayern Munich. The midfielder decided not to honour the invite to the Orange Under 21 team, opting to use the break to settle into his new environment.

This has caused him to be left out of the Netherlands squad despite a growing injury crisis.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of their UEFA Nations League clash with France, Koeman insisted he remains unhappy with the Liverpool midfielder.

The Oranjes will host Les Bleus in the Group B clash at the Johan Cruyff Stadium. They are currently second while their visitors are topping the table.

His decision did not go well with either Koeman or Under-21s boss Michael Reiziger, as both managers didn’t invite him.
“We do have a certain opinion about cancelling for the Dutch juniors or the Dutch national team. I still think he’s a great talent, and I hope he will play a lot at Liverpool and continue his development. Then he will certainly be a player for the Dutch team,” he said.

Koeman will be without Sven Botman, Memphis Depay, Cody Gakpo, Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt, Mark Flekken, and Noa Lang for the squad.

He will also be without Steven Berghuis and Teun Koopmeiners, who sustained injuries on Monday.

Noting the absence, Koeman insisted that he is focused on next week’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Greece.

While noting that he has 23 players to choose from, the former Barcelona coach said the squad, these kinds of periods with injuries are very dependent, and everyone has to deal with that.

“But in this case, it is very extreme. I have never experienced that before,” he said.

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