Anis Hadj Moussa comes in for criticism: 'Now that there is interest, he’s going to start being difficult'

Willem van Hanegem has hit out at Anis Hadj Moussa in his column in De Telegraaf. The winger looked to be heading out of Feyenoord and, because of those transfer issues, was left out of the matchday squad against NEC (1-3).

Feyenoord beat NEC, played well and left a strong impression on Van Hanegem. "The way Feyenoord and AZ (a 2-3 win against sc Heerenveen) performed is also encouraging if you are hoping for an exciting season in the Eredivisie."

One thing still jarred with the Feyenoord legend when he looked back on the game against the Nijmegen side. "At Feyenoord they had that fuss around Anis Hadj Moussa, who kept turning up late for so long that he could no longer be selected. Feyenoord gave him a chance at the top after Vitesse, at a time when he had achieved very little."

"Now that there is interest in him, he starts being difficult. Yes, he can earn a lot of money. He certainly does not play for Feyenoord for free. But regardless of all that, he just has to behave normally. If he does indeed stay, travels to Barcelona and is on time for the bus and the team meeting, then you still expect something from him at Camp Nou."

Van Hanegem is keeping expectations in check for the Champions League clash with FC Barcelona, who won 0-5 away to Valencia this weekend. "No, Feyenoord will not win there, but above all they must not show fear. And that is what I really liked about Feyenoord, who played their best match of the season against NEC."

Feyenoord also had a debutant against NEC who scored almost straight away, becoming the Eredivisie's youngest goalscoring debutant. "That goal by 17-year-old Jerayno Schaken was nice to see. He and left winger Jivayno Zinhagel are talents; there is now room for them to show it."

Elsewhere, the 82-year-old former footballer was also surprised by Nacho Ferri. "I thought that striker was dreadful in his previous substitute appearances, but against NEC he showed that he has qualities. And that is necessary too, because AZ are now reaching a level at which they can compete for a long time. Turning 2-1 into a 2-3 win in Heerenveen, that was impressive. There is an idea behind AZ's football," he concludes.