Mexx Meerdink has spoken for the first time about being left out of the Jong Oranje European Championship selection. The AZ striker impressed in the final weeks of the season, but coach Michael Reiziger preferred Noah Ohio and Thom van Bergen.
Reiziger’s decision was influenced by Meerdink’s withdrawal from two Jong Oranje practice matches in November due to injury, after which the attacker did play in a practice match for AZ.
“I think you should show up when you get an invitation,” Reiziger said last month when explaining his European Championship selection. “Then we’ll see if you can play. You’re not only an international when it suits you.”
Reiziger also emphasized that he was satisfied with the contributions of Ohio and Van Bergen in the past cycle of Jong Oranje. Reiziger received many questions about Meerdink’s absence at the European Championship. The coach said he still stood by his decision to leave the 21-year-old striker at home.
“I wasn’t that aware of it,” Meerdink said on Thursday after AZ’s first training session of the season in an interview with VI. “Although it’s quite strange to be the subject of conversation during a tournament where you’re not even present.”
‘They should just accept that’
Meerdink then explained what happened in November and why he withdrew. “I was on the standby list for Jong Oranje and was still called up. Great, of course. But I had only just recovered from an injury. So when I told the AZ coach that I had been called up for Jong Oranje, we sat down with the physical staff.”
“Then we made the choice that I would stay at AZ. Later that week a practice match against FC Utrecht was planned and I would play for an hour in it.”
Meerdink’s decision was influenced by the fact that he was not certain of playing time at Jong Oranje. His hour of playing time at AZ was important for building up his fitness.
“They should just accept that, I think. Now it seemed like I had done something to Reiziger. Which was not the case at all. I will always be open to a call-up from a national team. But in this case, we had to make the choice that was best for my recovery.”
Huiberts backs Meerdink
Technical director Max Huiberts told VI on Wednesday that AZ had advised Meerdink not to go. “But it is certainly not the case that Mexx did not want to go to Jong Oranje,” said Huiberts.
While Jong Oranje awaits the European Championship quarter-final against Portugal on Saturday, Meerdink is working towards AZ’s first practice matches. After that, the European adventure will soon begin for the Alkmaar team.
At the draw for the second qualifying round of the Conference League on Wednesday, AZ was paired with the loser of Shakhtar Donetsk against Ilves Tampere. The first leg of the second qualifying round is on July 24. A week later are the returns.