Steven Bergwijn lashes out at Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman after Saudi move criticism

Steven Bergwijn has told Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman that he has no intention of playing under him in the future.

During the summer, the winger was part of the Oranje squad that progressed through to the Euro 2024 semi-finals before losing to England.

Bergwijn made appearances in the last 16 and quarter-finals, remaining as an unused substitute for the other four fixtures.

However, it appears that the 26-year-old's international career is over while Koeman is in charge after public criticism from the national team boss.

Earlier this week, Bergwijn left Ajax to sign for Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad in a £17.7m deal, choosing to take on a new challenge rather than fight for his place under a new manager at the Dutch giants.

What have Koeman, Bergwijn had to say?

Speaking ahead of Netherlands' upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures, Koeman did not shy away from his opinion of Bergwijn's switch to the Middle East, implying that it was money-related.

He said: "Steven Bergwijn goes to Saudi Arabia at the age of 26. It's clear that this has nothing to do with sporting ambition. His book with the Dutch National Team is closed."

© Imago

Bergwijn had not been selected for the double-header with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Euro 2024 hosts Germany, partly due to the ongoing speculation regarding his future at the time.

Nevertheless, Koeman has been left in no uncertain terms that Bergwijn has taken away the possibility of being reintegrated into the group at a later date.

As quoted by De Telegraaf, Bergwijn said: "I don't even want to play for this manager anymore. I won't play for someone who portrays me like he has done in the media.

"He could have called me, hear my side of the story. How can he say such things without talking to me?"

Wijnaldum comparison?

Despite signing for Al Ettifaq, Georginio Wijnaldum has continued to be selected by Koeman, but Koeman has insisted that a direct comparison cannot be made.

Koeman feels that Wijnaldum dropping out of favour at Paris Saint-Germain, as well as being 33 years of age, justified his decision.

In Bergwijn's case, he had accumulated 119 minutes across four matches under new Ajax boss Francesco Farioli, partly a consequence of his late return to pre-season.

A total of 29 goals and 12 assists had bene racked up from 80 outings for Ajax, a return that may have led to his recall to the side on a permanent basis as the season progressed.

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