It has been a while since Joshua Zirkzee last played for the Dutch national team.
His last appearance for the Netherlands came in November 2024, during a UEFA Nations League match against Bosnia-Herzegovina. He has not been involved with his national team since.
Struggling for game time at Manchester United has been his biggest obstacle to international football.
Understandably, the Dutch technical staff have preferred to call up other attackers who are playing a key role for their clubs.
Zirkzee has tried to move away from Old Trafford to find regular football elsewhere, hoping it would revive his international career.
However, that move has failed to materialise, despite him attracting serious interest. Hours before last summer’s transfer deadline, Everton attempted to sign him on loan, but with too little time to find a replacement, INEOS turned down the request.
Remaining at Old Trafford, with regular game time far from guaranteed, seemed set to further diminish his hopes of returning to the Dutch national team fold. Surprisingly, though, that has not proved to be the case.
Joshua Zirkzee is back with the Dutch national team
Xavi Hernandez has decided to take a chance on Zirkzee. Confirming the news on their X page, Oranje wrote: “Get well soon, Brian. Joshua Zirkzee replaces the striker in our squad.”
A big chance for Zirkzee to grab with both hands
Zirkzee now has a clear opportunity to impress Xavi by giving his all in training. If given the chance, the player we know he can be could secure a place in the Dutch national team setup and keep earning call-ups, even without regular football at Old Trafford.
Many players have performed better for their national teams than for their clubs, and Zirkzee could well be one of them.
That said, the Netherlands still have to play Serbia twice and Greece in their remaining Nations League fixtures.
Hopefully, Zirkzee has not simply been called up to make up the numbers, and he gets the chance to feature. This could well prove to be his turning point.
Featured image by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
