Netherlands Euro 2024 squad: Who Ronald Koeman will take to Germany

Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen is currently holding the Netherlands' No.1 jersey, but his position is by no means safe. Verbruggen only got his chance with Koeman last year when Mark Flekken got injured, and the Brentford shot-stopper might still be in with a shout of snagging his spot.

Feyenoord's Justin Bijlow rounds out the three-man setup despite struggling with injuries through the 2023-24 campaign.

Led by Virgil van Dijk, the Netherlands are blessed with plenty of quality at the back, and Nathan Ake will likely slot in alongside the Liverpool superstar after another impressive season at Manchester City.

Inter's Denzel Dumfries and Daley Blind, who is enjoying a late career swansong at La Liga upstarts Girona, also played a key role in the Oranje's Euros qualifying campaign and will have important parts to play in Germany.

Competition for starting roles will be fierce, though, with Bayer Leverkusen's Jeremie Frimpong and Tottenham summer signing Micky van de Ven also staking strong claims with their form at club level, while Ian Maatsen could also force his way into the team despite only being a late call-up as an injury replacement.

Frenkie de Jong was unable to recover in time from the ankle injury that ruined the end of his Barcelona season, meaning a lot of pressure will be on Jerdy Schouten to step into the midfielder's shoes, having been one of PSV's standout performers during their run to the Eredivisie title and Champions League knockout stages.

Georginio Wijnaldum, meanwhile, has made the cut, despite the fact he now plies his trade in Saudi Arabia, and the former Liverpool midfielder's experience could be very useful if the Oranje make it to the latter stages of the tournament. Ryan Gravenberch rounds out an interesting midfielder corps for the Dutch.

Koeman is known for his pragmatic style of play, and tends to favour one up front, with Burnley loanee Wout Weghorst set to fill that position despite a somewhat underwhelming season at Hoffenheim.

Liverpool's Cody Gakpo will likely sit just behind Weghorst alongside Paris Saint-Germain starlet Xavi Simons, who has enjoyed a superb individual campaign on loan at RB Leipzig.

Memphis Depay is also still in the frame despite a mixed year with Atletico Madrid, and Steven Bergwijn also makes the squad despite struggling for Ajax this year.

There is a good chance Koeman will stick with three at the back, and Stefan de Vrij is likely to get the nod ahead of Van de Ven and Matthijs de Ligt purely based on experience, with Van Dijk and Ake almost certain starters.

Flying Inter wing-back Dumfries was a standout performer at the 2022 World Cup, and his runs in behind will be crucial again, while Schouten will be relied upon to hold everything together in the middle as Koeman looks to Simons and Gakpo for the cutting edge in the final third.

Weghorst should continue as the Netherlands' target man, with his height and physicality allowing the Oranje to play more direct football and make the most of their considerable depth from wide positions.

Netherlands XI (3-4-2-1): Verbruggen; De Vrij, Van Dijk, Ake; Dumfries, Schouten, Wijnaldum, Blind; Simons, Gakpo; Weghorst.

Only two Dutch players were ruled out of contention completely for the the Euros prior to the squad announcement, starting with Sven Botman, who suffered an ACL injury while playing for Newcastle in March. He was joined on the sidelines by fellow defender, Feyenoord's Quilindschy Hartman, who suffered a serious knee injury during his club's 4-2 Eredivisie win over Utrecht on March 31.

However, the big story around the Dutch on the eve of the tournament centred on their midfield, where likely starters Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners were both ruled out due to injury just as the Oranje were about to set off for Germany, while Marten De Roon was earlier confirmed as being unavailable due to an injury he suffered late in Atalanta's campaign.

Outside of those ruled out through injury, Jurrien Timber was something of a surprise omission. The Arsenal man figured to be nearing full fitness - and would have perhaps had a part to play for Koeman at the tournament.