Manchester City’s Nathan Aké has retained his place in the Netherlands squad for the ongoing international break.
De Telegraaf explain Oranje manager Ronald Koeman overlooked the defender’s situation at Manchester City and included him in the list anyway.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola hasn’t relied upon the 30-year-old regularly this season. To put it in context, Aké has played 391 minutes from 10 matches, and that includes one league start.
Last month, Koeman warned the centre-back that something has to change for him at the Etihad, if he’s to keep his place in the squad. Since October’s international break, Aké played two matches for the Premier League side.
Koeman has suggested Aké isn’t pleased with Guardiola’s decision to repeatedly overlook him at Manchester City. De Telegraaf have relayed his comments.
“Nathan himself is also bothered by the fact that he’s not playing much,” he said.
The manager then went on explain his decision to continue picking the player. At the same time, he refused to confirm whether Aké will be considered for the next World Cup if his situation doesn’t improve.
“But he is one of the captains of my team. Moreover, he’s a left-footed defender, while we generally have a lot of right-footed central defenders. He’s an important player for me who has always been there when I needed him. That makes all the difference for me that he’s in the squad,” Koeman explained.
“Is he also guaranteed a place in the World Cup next year? That’s still a long way off.”
Aké has a contract at Manchester City until 2027.