Brighton & Hove Albion's Jan Paul van Hecke has earned his first call-up to the Netherlands national squad after Tottenham Hotspur's Micky van de Ven was excluded from the squad for upcoming Nations League matches. Van de Ven's omission comes as the Netherlands prepare to face Bosnia & Herzegovina and Germany.
Although Van de Ven participated in Tottenham’s training sessions last week, he was not included in their squad for the Premier League defeat against Newcastle United on Sunday. His absence from the matchday squad followed an injury scare in Spurs' previous fixture—a 4-0 victory over Everton—where he seemed to injure his knee but managed to finish the game.
The Dutch football association (KNVB) cited Van de Ven's lack of match fitness as the reason for his exclusion, opting to replace him with the 24-year-old Van Hecke. This decision underscores the team's need for players who are fully prepared for the upcoming fixtures.
The Netherlands will host Bosnia & Herzegovina in Eindhoven on Saturday, followed by a clash with Germany at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam three days later, marking the beginning of their new Nations League campaign.
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