Ronald Koeman insisted a decision was yet to be made about Bart Verbruggen’s fitness ahead of their opening game of the World Cup against Japan on Sunday.
Verbruggen was forced off in the 67th minute of the Netherlands’ 2-1 victory over Uzbekistan earlier this week following a coming together with Abdukodir Khusanov from a corner.
The Brighton goalkeeper, who is considered as the Dutch number one for the tournament, was replaced by Bayer Leverkusen’s Mark Flekken at Icahn Stadium.
Verbruggen kept three clean sheets in the Netherlands’ World Cup qualifying campaign, but Koeman revealed he was absent from the team’s training session on Wednesday.
“He did not take part in training. We have to wait and see and hope that he can be involved on Sunday,” Koeman told a press conference at the team base.
“It’s only a bruise, so we don’t know yet how things will be on Sunday. We are hopeful, but we’ll have to see how far along he actually is.”
Flekken has made 12 appearances for his country since his debut in 2022, while third-choice goalkeeper Robin Roefs has just one senior cap to his name.
“Who might play in goal? We still have to decide that. We will provide clarity on that during our discussions with the goalkeepers,” Koeman added.
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This will be the Netherlands’ 12th World Cup appearance, with no other team finishing as runners-up more often than the Dutch without winning the trophy (three).
The Netherlands are unbeaten in their last 16 group matches at the World Cup (W12 D4), which is their longest current unbeaten run, while they have not lost their last nine opening matches at FIFA’s flagship competition.
But along with the goalkeeping situation, Koeman is also pondering who will lead the Oranje line in their opening game.
Memphis Depay was both the top scorer (eight goals) and joint-top assist provider (four assists) for the Netherlands in the World Cup qualifiers, but he has been struggling with a thigh injury in the lead-up to the tournament.
“It’s Wednesday, and we play on Sunday, but I think if I still have doubts then I haven’t done my homework properly,” Koeman said.
“We know that Memphis has had some injuries and hasn’t played in recent weeks, but now he’s back. Every day he is getting closer to his top level.
“He is our all-time leading goal scorer and we need him, just like we need all the other players.”