International boss admits Tottenham player has been a ‘godsend’ for him
Louis Van Gaal has described Steven Bergwijn as a ‘godsend’ and claimed it is up to the winger to make a decision on his future this summer.
Bergwijn hardly got a look in at Tottenham since Antonio Conte replaced Nuno Espirito Santo at the helm but the winger has continued to impress during his outings for his national side.
The 24-year-old scored and assisted against Norway in a 2-0 win back in November, before bagging a brace against Denmark in a friendly in March and also finding the back of the net against Germany three days later.
The former PSV Eindhoven man has continued to stand out as one of the Oranje’s best players during their Nations League encounters this month, scoring yet again in their 4-1 demolition of Belgium.
Bergwijn has expressed his intention to leave Spurs in search of regular game time this summer (AD), with Ajax reportedly in talks with the Lilywhites over a deal for the wide man (The Daily Mirror).
Last week, Van Gaal urged the winger to leave Tottenham as soon as possible (De Telegraaf) but the 70-year-old was far more diplomatic when speaking about the player on Monday.
When asked if his players need to play regularly at their respective clubs, the Netherlands boss told Voetbal International: “I already said that during the second press conference: I can no longer hold onto that vision.
“Look at what Steven Bergwijn has accomplished, although he didn’t have minutes at Tottenham. That was just a godsend. Donyell Malen got injured, which is very annoying, and then I have to call Steven and ask him if he still wanted to come.
“He came, he came in, he came in well and put in a fantastic run of games. In my eyes, that was a godsend, because that’s what I was looking for. The search doesn’t stop at Bergwijn, but it’s sometimes that simple.
“And the question is also: what is Bergwijn going to do? Will he stay at Tottenham Hotspur or will he move to a new club? Every player has his own problem and his own choice.
“Then they ask me what I would do, but I can’t give any guarantees, because I think they should perform. The Dutch team is the highest tier and then you have to show it to your club because I borrow players and then see if they fit the group.”
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If anything, Bergwijn’s impressive performances for the Netherlands over recent months have only added to his market value and thus made it harder for him to get a move away from Spurs.
I am not convinced that Ajax will win the race for the winger as I suspect that other clubs around Europe would be able to offer a bigger fee for the 24-year-old this summer.
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