1 October 2026·By [Paul Vegas](/author/paul-vegas)
Ronald Waterreus believes the Netherlands need more fresh faces under Xavi Hernández and says he would have left Virgil van Dijk out of the squad at this stage.
The former goalkeeper made his comments in the _Skiete Willy podcast_, where he questioned the lack of change in Hernández’s first Netherlands selection.
“What I found striking was the first selection, I missed some elan,” Waterreus said. “It’s not about whether Jantje, Pietje or Klaasje is invited or not. I thought there was little renewal in it. In Xavi’s first line-up there were two different names, I didn’t find that very progressive.”
Waterreus’s view has changed somewhat as the international period has developed. He pointed to the impact of younger players, particularly Mexx Meerdink and Ruben van Bommel, as evidence that a different energy has begun to emerge around the team.
> “But gradually and because of how things sometimes go, new elan did come,” he said. “Mexx Meerdink for example: we are now talking about two goals against Serbia, but I thought he also came on very well against Germany. Ruben van Bommel came on and that elan suddenly transferred to Xavi as well.”
Meerdink scored twice in the Netherlands’ 2-1 victory over Serbia, having previously impressed Waterreus as a substitute against Germany. Van Bommel also made an impact after being introduced from the bench, reinforcing the former international’s argument that the squad can benefit from greater turnover.
Waterreus was particularly direct when asked what he would have done with Van Dijk. “If I were the national coach, I would no longer have selected Virgil van Dijk.”
He was careful to separate that selection decision from an assessment of the Liverpool defender’s ability.
“That doesn’t mean Van Dijk isn’t a good player,” Waterreus added. “He rather likes to seek recognition, which I find strange in itself.”
Van Dijk currently has 98 Netherlands caps and is approaching the 100-appearance milestone. Hernández has continued to use the defender as captain, while Waterreus has made clear that his own approach would have involved a much more substantial change to the established group.
The seven-time international’s comments therefore go beyond one selection call. His central argument is that the Netherlands should use the current period to introduce more of the players capable of bringing a different energy to the national team.
The debate is therefore about how quickly Hernández should reshape the group, rather than whether the younger players have made an impression during the current international period.