Former Netherlands manager Bert van Marwijk believes Joey Veerman and Frenkie de Jong can form an effective midfield partnership against Greece, backing current national team coach Xavi Hernandez's view that the two players are capable of complementing each other.

Writing in De Telegraaf, Van Marwijk argued that their contrasting qualities could give Oranje a balanced midfield, drawing comparisons with the partnership between Xavi and Andrés Iniesta in Spain's 2010 World Cup-winning side.

Xavi is reportedly considering starting De Jong and Veerman together against Greece, prompting questions about whether the two midfielders can operate effectively alongside one another. Van Marwijk, who coached the Netherlands between 2008 and 2012, has little doubt they can.

“Xavi seems to be going into the next international match, against the Greeks, with Frenkie de Jong and Joey Veerman playing together in midfield. Can those two work together? That's the question that has arisen. In my view, that is certainly possible. Xavi and Iniesta were also able to get along well together,” he wrote, as quoted by PSV Inside.

The former Feyenoord and Borussia Dortmund coach recalled facing Spain's midfield during the 2010 World Cup final, when Xavi and Iniesta operated together in the centre of the pitch.

He believes the Netherlands could benefit from a similar approach, although he was careful not to suggest Veerman and De Jong possess exactly the same qualities as the Spanish duo.

“Veerman is then more the one who plays the forward passes, and Frenkie is more Busquets, the man who provides the control,” Van Marwijk explained.

He sees Veerman as a midfielder who naturally looks to move the ball forward and identify opportunities to play into attacking areas.

“If you play him the ball, in eight out of ten cases he will already have seen where he will look for the depth. One time the reception and immediately the pass,” he wrote.

De Jong, by contrast, offers control and the ability to receive possession under pressure. Van Marwijk believes that difference is precisely what makes the two players complementary.

“Frenkie is purely for control. You can play him with a man on his back. That is precisely why Veerman is complementary. He is, above all, the man who sees the depth.”

Van Marwijk also stressed that Veerman needs pace ahead of him to make the most of his passing range. He suggested that the partnership would be harder to balance if either midfielder had a different profile, using Feyenoord's Luciano Valente as an example.

Van Marwijk also highlighted Veerman's progress in Germany, suggesting his development could benefit the Netherlands.

“I still speak regularly to people around Dortmund and they are genuinely very satisfied with him,” he wrote, adding that Veerman's qualities are particularly suited to the evolving Bundesliga.

He believes German football has become more focused on possession, partly because of the influence of players arriving from other countries.

Van Marwijk pointed to the growing diversity of European football, noting how players with Moroccan and North African backgrounds have brought additional creativity to teams in the Netherlands and France.

“In the end, you see that playing styles in Europe are growing towards one another,” he concluded.

With Xavi considering his midfield options for the Greece fixture, Van Marwijk's assessment offers a clear case for giving Veerman and De Jong the opportunity to play together.