Netherlands National Team Coach Louis Van Gaal: “Inter’s Denzel Dumfries Is Fit To Play, Stefan de Vrij Will Start”

Photo: VI ANP Sport/ANPIV

Two Inter players are currently on international duty with the Dutch national side, in the form of defender Stefan de Vrij and wing-back Denzel Dumfries.

Speaking in a press conference ahead of tomorrow’s World Cup qualifying clash with Montenegro, Dutch boss Louis Van Gaal gave updates on the two players’ situations, clarifying that de Vrij is set to start and Dumfries could make an appearance during the fixture.

De Vrij is a regular in the Netherlands’ stating eleven, and is set to keep his place alongside Liverpool centre-back Virgil Van Dijk or Juventus’s Matthijs de Ligt at the heart of the Dutch backline.

Meanwhile, Dumfries could appear, although the coach did not give an indication as to whether the 25-year-old would appear from the start.

The former PSV man has not had a quick start to the season, appearing in only a few minutes of Inter’s first two Serie A matches as he gets up to speed physically and tactically, though Van Gaal’s words suggest that his progress is rapid.

“Yes, I think he is ready,” the coach said of Dumfries. “He had COVID-19 and then already within a week he was on the pitch.”

Of de Vrij, he said that “He will be the central defender on the right, and then we’ll see who plays beside him on the left [between Van Dijk and de Ligt].”