The veteran analyst admits he misjudged the midfield maestro as Joey Veerman’s resurgence at Dortmund forces a dramatic U-turn regarding his impact on the new-look Oranje squad.
Johan Derksen has changed his tone on Joey Veerman after the former PSV midfielder returned to the Netherlands squad under Xavi Hernandez.
Veerman went two years without featuring for Oranje following Euro 2024. He was repeatedly omitted by former head coach Ronald Koeman, with Derksen previously supporting the decision and questioning whether the midfielder could make a sufficient impact at international level.
Derksen has now acknowledged that Veerman is proving some of those doubts wrong, particularly after his move to Borussia Dortmund.
“Our Volendammer who was absolutely in a clinch with Koeman. Koeman had criticism of Veerman and felt that he didn't fit into the team. I did agree with that,” Derksen said on his podcast Groeten uit Grolloo, as quoted by PSV Inside.
“Veerman is an incredible footballer, but when it comes to losing the ball he doesn't contribute. Then you play with ten against eleven. But at Dortmund he is doing surprisingly well too. So he's now, to a certain extent, proving Koeman wrong. He places the balls where you want.”
Derksen had previously defended Koeman’s decision to leave Veerman out, arguing that his performances for PSV did not necessarily translate to the international stage.
The veteran analyst also praised the emergence of PSV winger Ruben van Bommel and AZ striker Mexx Meerdink.
“We have two young guys who are doing so fantastically well,” Derksen said. He described Meerdink as “such a cool frog” and praised his finishing, adding that the striker’s emergence meant “no one in this country is still talking about Memphis.”
Derksen also believes Xavi’s arrival has coincided with an encouraging period for Oranje.
“I’m happy for Xavi, someone I consider a serious football man, with a great history. He’s not an irritating person, very modest.”
After a draw with Germany and a 2-1 victory over Serbia, Derksen added: “The Dutch national team is starting to shine again. It’s getting better again.”
