Netherlands star exploded with anger after being dropped from the FIFA World Cup 2022 squad by Louis van Gaal - ReportsΒ
Netherlands goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen was reportedly upset after he was told he would not be included in Louis van Gaal's FIFA World Cup squad.
As per De Telegraaf, Cillessen has been left out of the squad to go to Qatar despite having years of experience. Cillessen was The Netherlands' first-choice shot-stopper when Van Gaal took his team to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where they reached the semi-finals in Brazil.
The report claims that Cillessen, who now plays for Eredivise side NEC, is furious with the decision and reacted negatively when being told the news. The goalkeeper has 63 Netherlands caps to his name, many of which came when he was Ajax's number one between 2013 and 2016.
Cillessen joined Barcelona in 2016 but failed to make an impact at Camp Nou, making just five La Liga appearances during his three seasons at the club. He then moved to fellow Spanish side Valencia but lost form and was eventually sold back to the Eredivisie.
The goalkeeper was also set to be a part of the Dutch squad which took part at the 2020 European Championships. However, he was left out of the squad after testing positive for COVID-19.
Manchester United left-back trialed at new position for the Netherlands ahead of FIFA World Cup
With Bruno Martins Indi set to miss the FIFA World Cup after pulling out of the squad due to an injury, Tyrell Malacia could play at centre-back. He was used in that capacity during the Netherlands' recent win over Belgium.
However, Malacia has revealed that he didn't feel comfortable in the new role. The full-back told reporters (as per The Mail):
"I went two or three times too much forward. That is not possible in this position as quickly. But I was corrected by others. I didn't agree with it at the time, yes. That's right. After the game, we talked about that moment for a while and then it was over."
"I'm comfortable with United at the moment. The national coach thinks that I should also be able to play in the centre of the defence. But I feel best on the left."
Van Gaal appeared satisfied with the defender's effort, as he proclaimed after the game:
"I put Malacia in the left centre back role because [Bruno] Martins Indi is not going to make it to the World Cup squad in time due to injury. I have to look at other players who can play there and I wanted to see what Malacia could do, so (Nathan) Ake was substituted.
"The defensive work he did very well but the constructive work in the build-up could have been a lot better."