Jeremie Frimpong has been left out of the Netherlands’ squad for this summer’s World Cup.
The ex-Celtic fan favourite has paid the price for struggling in his first season at Liverpool, being snubbed from Ronald Koeman’s 26-man squad.
The news is a major shock and surprise for many in the media, particularly given that Frimpong has been given all of his 15 senior caps by Koeman.
But despite earning a €35 million transfer to the then-English champions last summer, his form at Anfield evidently hasn’t shown enough.
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Though the Dutch may not boast the strength of squad that they have in generations gone by, Frimpong still faced serious competition for a place in the squad.
The fact the 25-year-old is primarily a right-wing-back hasn’t done him any favours for a nation so culturally wedded to the 4-3-3.
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Despite this, Denzel Dumfries, primarily a right-wing-back for Italian champions Inter, has made the 26-man cut.
It’s a similar issue to that which has plagued Frimpong at club level this season, as he’s struggled to have the desired impact in replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold at Anfield.
Under Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen, Frimpong played as an extremely offensive wing-back in a 3-4-3 formation. This was the best period of his career.
He played as both a right-back and a right-wing-back during his Celtic days, with Neil Lennon alternating between the two systems during the Dutchman’s 18-month spell.
A teenage Frimpong’s defensive frailties were clear when he was sent off in the League Cup final against Rangers in 2019 after allowing Alfredo Morelos in on goal.
The vast majority of his contributions in Glasgow were positive, however, and he has plenty of years ahead of him to make his mark at the highest level.
Each of the Netherlands’ three games in Group F will be against a current Celtic player, in the shape of Daizen Maeda’s Japan, Benjamin Nygren’s Sweden and Sebastian Tounekti’s Tunisia.
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