Steven Bergwijn has hit back at Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman following his exclusion from the national team.
Koeman stated recently that he would not select Bergwijn following his move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad, labelling his national team career as a ‘closed book’.
“Steven Bergwijn goes to Saudi Arabia at age 26,” Koeman was quoted as saying by CaughtOffside columnist and transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano.
“It’s clear that this has nothing to do with sportive ambition. His book with the Dutch National Team is closed.
“He probably knows that I would have said this.”
Ex-Tottenham forward Bergwijn hits back at Koeman
However, former Tottenham and Ajax forward Bergwijn — who played 83 times for Spurs between 2020 and 2022, scoring eight goals — is not taking Koeman’s comments quietly.
Instead, the forward has hit back at the Oranje manager, insisting he has no interest in playing under him anyway.
“I don’t even want to play under Koeman anymore,” Bergwijn told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf (via BBC Sport).
“I won’t play for someone who portrays me like he has done in the media. He could have called me, heard my side of the story. How can he say such things without talking to me?
“If he had been a committed national coach, he would have called me first. Now I had to hear about it on TV. I’ve had many beautiful moments with him, so this is far too easy and I’m disappointed with him.”
Koeman has also criticised Ajax striker Brian Brobbey in the past for an apparent lack of technical ability. Bergwijn had something to say about that as well.
“He had previously publicly expressed an opinion about Brobbey, which was also not nice and which he later said was not smart,” the forward — who played twice for the Netherlands at Euro 2024 over the summer added — added.
“That is not how you treat your own players. If he continues like this, he will lose all his credibility.”
In what is very quickly becoming a child-like war of words, Koeman has responded to Bergwijn insisting he’s done nothing wrong.
“It’s logical that Steven Bergwijn reacts to my words on his move to Saudi. But I stick to my words,” he said.
??? Ronald Koeman: “It’s logical that Steven Bergwijn reacts to my words on his move to Saudi. But I stick to my words!”.
“Going to Saudi at 16… it’s not a transfer based on the sporting aspect”, told NOS. pic.twitter.com/kPexqZ8epo
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 6, 2024
The Netherlands face Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday and fierce rivals Germany on Tuesday in their first two matches of the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League A.