René van der Gijp believes Sem Steijn might have been better off leaving Feyenoord last summer. The midfielder from The Hague started most matches last season, but since the summer break he has mainly had to settle for a place on the bench.
"It is quite something as well," Van der Gijp says on Monday in KieftJansenEgmondGijp. "When you arrive, are made captain. And then there is the Netherlands national team on top of that. And then you are on the bench and are considered not good enough."
For Van der Gijp, a move abroad could have been the answer for Steijn. "Really, he would have been better off leaving this summer and going to play for a mid-table side in Portugal or France. Where you can play every match."
Presenter Michel van Egmond sees it differently and feels Steijn deserves credit for staying and fighting for his chance at Feyenoord. "I also think it shows character that he did not do it."
Last week, Steijn came off the bench to score against FC Barcelona and was visibly delighted. He was used as a substitute again against PEC Zwolle on Sunday, in a 0-7 win, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst recently full of praise for his attitude.
"I think Steijn is a top professional who is there when we need him. At the moment he is not yet getting the number of minutes he himself would like. But these are the players who are going to play and get more minutes during the busy period," said the Feyenoord coach.
"He is already working on keeping himself fit and being ready when his moment comes. Naturally, you also want competition within your team. The way he deals with that, both in his work and in his behaviour, I find exemplary," Van Bronckhorst says, clearly pleased with Steijn's contribution.