'Not good enough' - Man Utd's Joshua Zirkzee sent brutal message by Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman after being snubbed for latest Oranje squad

The Netherlands are all set to face Spain in a two-legged Nations League quarter-final clash later this month, and ahead of the international break, manager Ronaldo Koeman has named his squad. In the preliminary list, Koeman has omitted Joshua Zirkzee as, according to the Dutch coach, the attacker's performance has not been up to the mark.

Zirkzee, who moved to United from Bologna last summer, has had a difficult debut campaign at Old Trafford. He has appeared in 42 matches for the club thus far and has been a regular starter under new coach Ruben Amorim, however, the Dutch forward has managed to score just six goals and provide two assists.

Speaking at Voetbal's studio, Koeman said: "He wasn’t in the preliminary selection because I don’t think he’s good enough at the moment. In particular, scanning when turning or passing often goes wrong. Yes, in principle, form and fitness are always leading, but that is not always possible.

"We have a lot of central defenders and midfielders, but we are somewhat limited up front. But even then, I still think that you have to earn your selection, and I think he doesn’t deserve that now, but that could be the case again in another period."

The Dutch star will be back in action for the Red Devils on Thursday as they take on Real Sociedad in the second leg of their Europa League round of 16 fixture.