Amsterdam: Nigel de Jong and Gregory van der Wiel were among five players recalled to the Dutch squad for next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Hungary and Turkey, the Dutch football association KNVB said yesterday.
A pre-selection of 25 players was named by coach Louis van Gaal for the matches against Hungary in Amsterdam on October 11 and away in Istanbul four days later.
De Jong missed much of last season with an Achilles injury but has fought his way back to fitness at AC Milan while Van der Wiel has bedded down a regular place at Paris St Germain after a difficult initial season in Ligue 1.
Daley Blind, Jordy Clasie and Tim Krul are also back from injury.
It means there is again no place for 33-year-old Joris Mathijsen, who Van Gaal dropped for this month’s qualifiers in Estonia and Andorra, where the Dutch picked up four points to ensure they became the first European country to qualify for the 2014 finals in Brazil. REUTERS
