Gjivai Zechiël will be in Feyenoord’s starting line-up next season. Every day on Voetbalzone, we put forward three claims about the top Dutch clubs. We also regularly feature teams outside the traditional top three. Zechiël is on loan at FC Utrecht, where he is having an exceptionally strong season. Do you think the 21-year-old midfielder can earn a place in Feyenoord’s first team next season? Leave your opinion in the comments!
Zechiël came through the Feyenoord youth ranks and was loaned out to Sparta Rotterdam in January last year for the remainder of the season. In the summer, the midfielder made another loan move, this time to FC Utrecht.
The playmaker is enjoying a good season in Utrecht. He has played in every league match so far (29) and is a key player for the club. Zechiël has scored eight goals and provided seven assists in 43 appearances.
FC Utrecht are ninth in the VriendenLoterij Eredivisie and are in good form. Ron Jans’s side have lost just one of their last eight matches: the 4-3 defeat against national champions PSV. In their next five fixtures, they face opponents including Telstar, Excelsior Rotterdam and NAC Breda, and reaching the European play-offs looks more than achievable.
Zechiël is performing well not only for his club but also for the Dutch national team. The 21-year-old from Rotterdam has played ten international matches for the Dutch Under-21s and scored twice in late March against Norway’s Under-21s, who ultimately proved too strong, winning 3-2.
Feyenoord have a deep squad, including in midfield. Zechiël would have to compete with Luciano Valente, Jakub Moder, Oussama Targhalline and Hwang In-Beom for a place in the starting line-up.
Although Valente got off to a very strong start to the season, his current form has dipped slightly. Furthermore, Feyenoord are suffering from a spate of injuries, with Moder and Hwang having fallen victim to this on several occasions. Zechiël has shown that he is in peak condition and possesses the qualities needed to hold his own in the Dutch second tier. The big question now is whether he can make the leap to the Dutch top three.