Ronald Koeman takes aim at second Dutch player with savage comment after leaving him out of Netherlands squad

Ronald Koeman has taken aim at a second Dutch player with a brutal comment after leaving him out of the Netherlands squad.

The Netherlands fared better than expected at Euro 2024, reaching the semi-finals of the tournament where they lost 2-1 to England.

Ronald Koeman is hoping his side will take confidence from that experience and perform well in upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Germany.

Koeman caused a stir earlier this week when he announced that Steven Bergwijn's international career is over following his summer move to Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad.

The former Tottenham attacker was included in the Euros squad earlier this summer, but he will no longer be considered for selection.

Koeman also decided to omit Ian Maatsen from his latest squad despite taking him to Euro 2024.

Last season the wing-back enjoyed a break-out campaign on loan at Borussia Dortmund from Chelsea, earning him a £37.5 million summer move to Aston Villa.

However, with UEFA reducing squad sizes from 26 to 23 following the Euros, Maatsen was one of the players Koeman decide to axe.

After Maatsen told Dutch outlet VoetbalPrimeur that the manager had not contacted him to explain his omission, the 61-year-old hit back with a brutal comment.

Ian Maatsen in action for Borussia Dortmund. Image: Getty

During his press conference on Tuesday (September 3), a reporter told Koeman that Maatsen doesn't understand his exclusion.

Koeman replied: "Then he should have asked me why."

When it was suggested that Koeman could have reached out to Maatsen to explain, he shot back: "I don't call everyone."

Maatsen has featured in all three of Villa's Premier League games so far this season, although each appearance came from the bench.

The 22-year-old was a late call-up to the Netherlands' Euro 2024 squad and did not feature in any of their games.

Maatsen has joined up with the Netherland under-21 side for upcoming U21 Euros qualifiers against North Macedonia and Georgia.