Should Frenkie de Jong fear for his place in the Netherlands? 'He feels Veerman breathing down his neck'

Valentijn Driessen believes Frenkie de Jong should be seriously worried about his place in the Netherlands side, with the football editor making the point in his column for De Telegraaf.

De Jong is currently out with a knee problem and is not involved in this international break. The midfielder is expected back on the pitch soon.

As FC Barcelona captain, he usually plays as the number six for the Netherlands. During this international break, Quinten Timber and Joey Veerman have filled in, with the latter making a big impression.

"He is an excellent game-controlling replacement for De Jong. I think De Jong still has a slight edge. Also because he has worked with Xavi at FC Barcelona for two years."

"But De Jong will feel Veerman breathing down his neck. Especially if Veerman once again leads the Netherlands by the hand against Greece and in the home match against Serbia," Driessen concludes.

Veerman has won 18 caps for the Netherlands in total. He had not featured for the Dutch national team since the 2024 European Championship until last Thursday.

Before that, the Borussia Dortmund midfielder had been caught up in a conflict with former national team coach Ronald Koeman. The latter was highly critical of the Volendam native's "behaviour".