Netherlands have revealed a provisional 34-man squad for Euro 2020, which will be captained by Georginio Wijnaldum in the absence of his Liverpool teammate Virgil van Dijk. The Dutch national captain ruled himself out of the European Championships to focus on his recovery from a long-term knee injury in time for the next Premier League season.
The initial squad will be whittled down to 26 by manager Frank de Boer ahead of the tournament which begins on 11 June. Netherlands have been drawn in Group C with Ukraine, Austria and North Macedonia and will play all of their group matches in Amsterdam as one of 11 countries playing host.
The provisional squad features plenty of experience, including Ajax’s Daley Blind and Davy Klaassen, Atalanta’s Marten de Roon, Spartak’s Quincy Promes and Sevilla striker Luuk de Jong. But there is no place for Galatasaray’s 34-year-old Ryan Babel, nor a spot for the 37-year-old Arjen Robben, who has impressed recently for his boyhood club Groningen and said he was open to a national call-up.
There is lots of young talent involved too, most notably Ajax’s 19-year-old centre-back Jurrien Timber, who is highly rated in the Netherlands after breaking into the club’s senior setup this season. PSV’s exciting 22-year-old winger Cody Gakpo has also earned a place in the provisional squad, while Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong and Juventus’s Matthijs de Ligt will be crucial to Dutch hopes.
The initial squad contains a sizeable Premier League contingent including Manchester United’s Donny van de Beek, Tottenham’s Steven Bergwijn, Aston Villa’s Anwar El Ghazi, Manchester City’s Nathan Ake, Crystal Palace’s Patrick van Aanholt, Fulham’s Kenny Tete and Brighton’s Joel Veltman, as well as goalkeeper Tim Krul, who will return to the top flight next season after winning the Championship with Norwich City.
Netherlands play friendlies against Scotland on 2 June and Georgia on 6 June in preparation for their first Euros game against Ukraine on 13 June. The final squad will be confirmed later this month.
Netherlands’ provisional squad
Goalkeepers: Bizot, Cillessen, Krul, Stekelenburg.
Defenders: Van Aanholt, Ake, Blind, Dumfries, Hateboer, Karsdorp, De Ligt, St Juste, Tete, Timber, Veltman, De Vrij, Wijndal.
Midfielders: Van de Beek, Gravenberch, Frenkie de Jong, Klaassen, Koopmeiners, De Roon, Vilhena, Wijnaldum (c).
Forwards: Berghius, Bergwijn, El Ghazi, Gakpo, Luuk de Jong, Malen, Memphis, Promes, Weghorst.
