Leeds United defender Pascal Struijk hopes to represent the Netherlands senior team, having made three appearances for the U17s in the past
Bruna Reis
17:53, 31 Oct 2025
Pascal Struijk
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Pascal Struijk is hoping for a call-up to the Netherlands national team(Image: SmartFrame/Every Second Media)
Leeds United defender Pascal Struijk has expressed his frustration at being overlooked by Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman.
Eligible to play for Belgium and Indonesia, the defender earned three caps for the Netherlands U17s in 2016 but has not featured since. He was named in Louis van Gaal's provisional squad for the 2022 World Cup, three years ago, but missed out when the 32-man list was trimmed to 26.
"He called me afterward and explained why I was among the dropouts, I accepted it," Struijk told ELF Voetbal. "There's little point in arguing or having a discussion.
"The decision has already been made. I understood it. National coaches generally aren't quick to take players to a final tournament who have yet to make their debut."
Struijk hasn't come close to a recall since and Koeman currently has a wealth of centre-back options, including Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Ake, Matthijs de Ligt, Stefan de Vrij, Micky van de Ven, Jurrien Timber and Jan Paul van Hecke.
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That depth makes it even harder for Struijk to break into the squad. "Unfortunately, I never heard anything from national coach Ronald Koeman," the Whites centre-back man added.
"I understand the Koeman brothers came to watch our match against Liverpool once. Six months later, we were relegated to the Championship.
"It makes sense then that other players would be prioritised. One of my goals this season is to get into the Dutch national team.
"I try to show that every week. I don’t know what else I need to do to be considered for selection. Hopefully the national coach follows the Premier League matches.
"Although I understand that the competition at center back is fierce for the Dutch national team."
Pascal Struijk
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Pascal Struijk has been at Leeds United since 2018(Image: PA)
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