Last season, Manchester City’s Nathan Aké struggled with multiple injuries and was able to play only 20 matches in all competitions. The Netherlands international spent 136 days on the sidelines.
He’s regained full fitness, but his game time hasn’t improved at Manchester City. To put it in context, Pep Guardiola has restricted him to one start [in the EFL Cup] this season.
That hasn’t stopped Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman from including Aké in the squad for October’s fixtures.
Koeman had a press conference on Monday and De Telegraaf have relayed his comments.
The newspaper report Koeman issued a warning to the Manchester City player over his place in the national team. He’s made it clear to the 30-year-old that he could lose his spot.
“We’ve talked about it. Something has to change. You can’t hardly play and still be part of a national team. Match practice is part of that,” he said.
In other words, Koeman has informed the defender his current situation at Manchester City can’t continue if he wants to represent Oranje.
Aké’s injuries have also impacted his game time with the Netherlands. He’s played only four matches since the start of last season.