Netherlands squad 'closed' for Steven Bergwijn as Ronald Koeman tears into ex-Tottenham & Ajax star for shelving 'sporting ambition' to complete Saudi Arabia transfer

Bergwijn's transfer to Al Ittihad was completed for a reported €25 million (£21m/$27.6m) fee and officially announced on Monday. The 26-year-old winger's departure from Ajax to the Middle East has sparked criticism from Koeman, who contrasted Bergwijn's situation with that of Georginio Wijnaldum, another Dutch player who made a move to Saudi Arabia but under different circumstances.

"Georginio Wijnaldum once went that way because he had a problem at Paris Saint-Germain," Koeman told reporters. "He could only go to that country to play football until January. In Bergwijn's case is that he goes at the age of 26, sporting ambition does not prevail. Not everyone thinks, fortunately, the same way. I think when you are 26 the main ambition should be sporting and not financial, but those are choices players make."

At Al-Ittihad, Bergwijn will be under the guidance of head coach Laurent Blanc, a former World Cup-winning player with France. The team also boasts a roster filled with high-profile players, including N'Golo Kante, Karim Benzema, Fabinho, Houssem Aouar, Predrag Rajkovic, and Moussa Diaby. Despite the illustrious company, Koeman remains unimpressed by Bergwijn's choice, believing the winger had viable alternatives in Europe or could have just continued with Ajax.

"He could have stayed at Ajax, couldn't he? And I think they pay OK at Ajax too. But yes, it's his choice," he said. "I haven't been in that situation myself. I could go to Barcelona. I think if Bergwijn could have gone to Barcelona, he wouldn't have gone to Saudi Arabia either. The book is basically closed for him, though. He has not contacted me about this. I think he knows how I think about this."

In addition to Bergwijn, another notable absentee from Koeman's latest Netherlands squad is Memphis Depay. The 30-year-old winger, who is currently a free agent after leaving Atletico Madrid in June, was not selected for the upcoming international fixtures along with Wijnaldum and Marten de Roon of Atalanta.

Koeman added: "It's primarily because he doesn't have a club. That means you don't play football and you can't be with the national team. Memphis is 30, let's hope he gets a club and gets fit. Then he is still an option for me."

The Netherlands are set to face Bosnia and Herzegovina in Eindhoven on Saturday followed by a high-voltage clash against Germany on September 10 in the Nations League.