04 September 2023 , 16:56
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Ronald Koeman has blasted Ryan Gravenberch, insisting he is "not happy" with Liverpool's new signing refusing to play for the Netherlands Under-21s side.
Gravenberch joined the Reds on deadline day and had been in line to be called up for the junior Netherlands side for the upcoming international break. But the midfielder has instead decided to pull himself out of contention, given his late arrival at Anfield.
That decision has not gone down well at the Dutch FA, with national team boss Koeman and Under-21s manager Michael Reiziger both taking aim at Gravenberch. Koeman highlighted what happened with Jeremie Frimpong, who previously refused to play for the U21s.
"We are not happy with Ryan Gravenberch refusing to play for his country. We don't like it when players refuse to play for the U21 team," Koeman said ahead of the senior side's games against Greece and Ireland.
"Nigel de Jong (technical director KNVB) has spoken with Jeremie Frimpong about this. He still wants to play for us, but we decided he will not be called up. You can see it as punishment. I believe you are obliged to play for your country."
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Reiziger is also fuming with Gravenberch, with his side set to play Euro Under-21 qualifiers against Moldova and North Macedonia over the next week. He hinted that Gravenberch may miss out on a call-up in the future.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Has Ryan Gravenberch made the right decision by turning down a call-up? Comment below.
Ryan Gravenberch has come under fire for turning down a call-up to the Netherlands' Under-21s team (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)"I hope Ryan Gravenberch will learn from this. It doesn't mean he will just be called up again. He needs to learn from this. Playing for your country is an honour, you want to be part of that," Reiziger said.
"Plus the fame you can achieve with it. You battle for your country, you have the entire nation behind you. At your club you only have one part of the city behind you. I don't like Gravenberch's choice.
"I have told him this. If you can join the National Team, you do this with your heart. And you don't start to think about yourself. But I want players who want to play with their heart for our country."
Fedde de Jong has been called up to replace Gravenberch, with the 21-year-old instead focusing on settling into life on Merseyside. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp may be surprised by Gravenberch's decision, having hinted that he believed the midfielder would be travelling with the national team.
"Really happy to bring him in because he’s an exceptional talent. Everybody knows that. He is 21, played over 100 games for Ajax already. Had a, I wouldn’t even say difficult season at Bayern because in that age group it’s completely normal; you go into a world-class team and he had his minutes and stuff like this," he said.
"We will see how long he needs now because I don’t know, we need to have a look at that. He had a full pre-season, that’s good. The medical was as clear as it can be pretty much, looks really fit. That’s all positive.
"Unfortunately we have now an international break and cannot work directly together, he is I think with the U21s for Holland. But when he is back we start it. Very excited about it. He is a smart boy. When I talked to him I realised that pretty quickly. And he loves to be here, it’s a good thing as well."