Rafael van der Vaart Names Unexpected German Player for Netherlands Squad

Former Bundesliga professional Rafael van der Vaart has revealed an unexpected German national player he wishes to see in the Dutch national team.

When asked in the *Bild* podcast 'Phrasenmäher', van der Vaart stated: "Leroy Sané! And then I would wake him up every day as an assistant coach." This choice was not entirely predictable, given Sané's public struggles, disappointing performances at the last World Cup, and a weak start to the season with his club Galatasaray.

The former HSV star remains convinced of the winger's enormous talent. "The kid has Kylian Mbappé's quality, but in the end, it doesn't come out, and that almost makes me angry sometimes. You think – he plays like a softie, even though he has so much potential."

Clearly, the new national coach Jürgen Klopp does not rate Sané as highly at the moment. He did not include him in his 44-man squad for the upcoming four Nations League matches during this international break.

The campaign begins with a match against arch-rivals the Netherlands on Thursday evening in Amsterdam. The Dutch team also has a new prominent figure on the sidelines in former Barcelona coach Xavi. Asked whether he would have preferred Klopp or the former world-class playmaker as the new Oranje coach, van der Vaart commented: "Xavi was a surprise, but I believe it can work well because he understands the Johan Cruyff school from Barcelona."

"I am also glad that Klopp is now Germany's coach," the 109-cap international continued. "At 59, he is the perfect age to be a national coach. Something happens at every press conference with him. I love that! Because the greatest quality a coach can have is that players go through fire for you – and all players have always done that for him at all his clubs."