Netherlands defender Stefan de Vrij believes his positive campaign at Inter Milan is behind his solid form.
The 32-year-old was in Ronald Koeman’s starting lineup in the Oranje’s opening Euro 2024 fixture against Poland.
The Dutch earned a come-from-behind win to kickstart their campaign on a positive note.
The Netherlands have a tough task ahead of them tomorrow night, as they will take on World Cup finalists France in Leipzig.
For his part, de Vrij will be hoping to earn the nod once more at the expense of Matthijs de Ligt and start alongside Virgil van Dijk.
“I had conversations with the staff exactly like what happened to Matthijs,” said the Nerazzurri star via FcInterNews.
“I played well against Iceland. Matthijs did the same against Canada. But in the end, the coach had to pick one of us.”
De Vrij believes his substantial playing time during the season coupled with Inter’s early Scudetto triumph are the secrets behind his good physical form.
“Being fresh certainly helped my case. I feel I’m in a really good shape, as I said when I arrived at the training camp.
“I played a lot at Inter. We won the title with many matches to spare. We continued to train seriously but we were free from all pressure.”
Stefan De Vrij Explains How Inter Milan Campaign Is Behind His Good Form
The centre-back looked back on his career with the Dutch national team which includes several highs and low.
“I made my debut in August 2012. A long time has passed since then in which I have experienced many different phases. But I always come here with pleasure and pride, even as a reserve.
“One always wants to play, but that doesn’t always happen. For example, I was the first choice in the past, while in Qatar I didn’t play even though the same selector was in the dugout.
“It happens, it’s simply a question of making ourselves reliable.”
