Valentijn Driessen believes Frenkie de Jong should be seriously worried about his place in the Netherlands side, the football editor wrote in his column for De Telegraaf.
De Jong is currently out with a knee injury and is not involved during this international break. The midfielder is expected back on the pitch soon.
For the Netherlands, the FC Barcelona captain usually plays as the number six, but during this international break Quinten Timber and Joey Veerman have filled in. The latter is making a big impression.
"He is an excellent playmaking replacement for De Jong. I think De Jong still has a slight edge. Also because he has already worked with Xavi for two years at FC Barcelona."
"But De Jong will feel Veerman breathing down his neck. Especially if Veerman again leads the Netherlands 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.
Previously, the Borussia Dortmund midfielder had been involved in a conflict with former national coach Ronald Koeman. The latter was highly critical of the Volendam native's 'behaviour'.