‘I didn’t think about him, but now I do’

Khalid Boulahrouz sees a possible replacement for Quilindschy Hartman in the left back position for the Dutch team. A serious knee injury has put an end to Hartman’s European Championship participation, forcing national coach Ronald Koeman to think about other options.

The choice is limited, because Tyrell Malacia is also currently unavailable. “The only one who could do it is Blind, who else is there?”, Ruud Gullit wondered on Monday evening at Rondo. Then Boulahrouz drops Maatsen’s name. The 22-year-old Maatsen has been rented out by Chelsea to Borussia Dortmund since January and is a basic player there.

“It depends on what you want. Do you want an attacking left back who thunders over and always reaches the back line? I didn’t think about it, but now that the position has become available, I think about Maatsen,” said Boulahrouz. “I recently saw him play against Bayern Munich. He played very strong.”

Maatsen was in the selection of the Dutch national team in October, but has not yet made his debut. Gullit: “Koeman will definitely take a look at him. The question remains whether we will play with three or four defenders. It will also depend on that.”

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