Dutch league goalkeeper situation alert ahead of World Cup debut

The Netherlands have doubts about the physical condition of starting goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, who was injured during last Monday's friendly (8), in New York, and could be missing from the team's debut in the World Cup, which takes place next Sunday (14), against Japan.

Verbruggen went down hard after being hit while grabbing a ball in the 2-1 win over Uzbekistan, forcing him to leave the field limping.

"He did not participate in training. We need to wait and see and hope that he can be involved on Sunday", said coach Ronald Koeman in a press conference held at the team's concentration this Wednesday (10).

Later, the coach presented a more positive outlook. "It's just an injury, so we don't yet know what things will be like on Sunday. We're optimistic, but we'll have to see what stage of recovery he's actually at," he said.

"Who will be able to play in goal? We still need to decide that. We will clarify this issue during our conversations with the goalkeepers," added the coach.

Mark Flekken replaced Verbruggen in the match against the Uzbek National Team. The third option is Robin Roefs, who received his first call-up a week ago, when the Netherlands lost a friendly to Algeria in Rotterdam.

Koeman was also asked if he had already decided who would lead the attack on Sunday, in reference to Memphis Depay's fitness following a thigh injury that has limited his playing time over the past three months.

"Today is Wednesday and we play on Sunday, but I believe that if I still had doubts, it would mean that I didn't do my preparation work properly. We know that Memphis has had some injuries and hasn't played in the last few weeks, but now he is back. Every day he is closer to his best level. He is the greatest scorer in the history of our team and we need him, just like we need all the other players", he concluded.

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Source: CNN