Wout Weghorst not called up by Xavi: 'I had the feeling that...'

Wout Weghorst is not in the first Netherlands squad under head coach Xavi. The 34-year-old FC Twente striker had already sensed he would miss out and is now accepting that his international career may be over.

Weghorst made his Netherlands debut against England in 2018 and has since won 53 caps. The experienced forward has scored 14 goals in those games and featured at two World Cups and two European Championships.

His omission from Xavi's squad did not come as a complete surprise. "I already had that feeling a little bit," Weghorst told RTV Oost. "The preliminary squad was announced about two or three weeks ago and I knew I wasn't in it. Then I still did everything I could in recent weeks," he says with a smile. "But no, I'm not in it."

The striker can partly understand the new head coach's decision. "You get older, 34. New head coach, perhaps a new generation. At the World Cup I did have the feeling that it could be my last chance. You never know in football, now I'm not in it, we'll see for the future."

Still, Weghorst insists he will never close the door on the Netherlands himself. "I will never decline."

"It is the greatest pride to represent your country. I know that I have had my value. If they now choose to fill that in differently, that is entirely their right. I will be available to the Netherlands at all times."

For now, he is waiting to see whether another call-up will come. "Maybe I'll soon be missed badly again and maybe not at all. Then it is a good sign that things are going very well with our country. And that we may perhaps be very successful in the future."