Steven Bergwijn once again demonstrated what he is all about on the international stage with Netherlands on Friday evening. Linking up with the Dutch national team after helping Tottenham secure a Champions League spot, the 24-year-old was handed a start for his country in their UEFA Nations League showdown against Belgium.
An extremely tricky game for Louis van Gaal's men in Brussels, Netherlands ran riot and registered a 4-1 win over the Red Devils, their first victory over Belgium in 25 years. Bergwijn, once again, played a pivotal role as he opened the scoring five minutes before the break with a rasping drive.
Collecting the ball 25 yards from goal, the Tottenham ace let fly and the ball arrowed into the bottom corner of the net to give Simon Mignolet no chance. It was his fifth goal in four games for his country after scoring three times during March's international break and netting a vital goal against Norway in November that sealed their place at this year's World Cup in Qatar.
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Amid his current woes at Tottenham with limited game time due to having Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulusevski and Harry Kane ahead of him in the pecking order, when Bergwijn puts on a Netherlands shirt he takes his opportunity with both hands and leaves both fans and players wanting so much more. Tottenham supporters were raving on social media about his goal and performance, with Netherlands ace Virgil van Dijk also waxing lyrical about him when speaking to the media after the comfortable win.
“A good win with good football. Everyone was good today," the Liverpool man told NOS, as reported by De Telegraaf. “Steven Bergwijn in particular was excellent, they couldn't get a grip on him. But also Steven Berghuis and Frenkie de Jong. Actually, I can be positive about everyone. It was a great team performance.”
Van Gaal also hailed his attacker but questioned why he's not getting regular game time in north London. He said: "You don't develop form at the Dutch national team, but at the club. Only not Bergwijn."
"There were two stars for me: Frenkie de Jong and Steven Bergwijn", he added. "I can no longer maintain that players who play little at their club are no longer drafted into Oranje. Unlike twenty years ago, we are dealing with a generation that maintains itself well. That's why it's about the quality of the player."
Having registered five goals in his last four appearances for Netherlands, you certainly wouldn't bet against the Tottenham man adding to his impressive tally with a further three games coming up in the Nations League over the next ten days. Already in the headlines regarding a move away following talk of a January exit, Bergwijn's future will become a lot clearer once this month's international fixtures are done and dusted.
Despite his goal glut for Netherlands in March, Bergwijn did score in his next appearance for Tottenham against Newcastle but even that didn't alter Antonio Conte's thinking in attack. The 24-year-old remained on the bench and only played a grand total of 61 minutes when he came on in the closing stages in seven of Tottenham's last nine league fixtures.
Conte's decision to introduce Lucas Moura ahead of him time and time again certainly irked some fans, especially given Bergwijn's red-hot form in front of goal for his country. His lack of regular football at Tottenham does now look set to culminate in a summer exit, with Ajax the favourites to secure his signature ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Even Van Gaal appears desperate for Bergwijn to clinch a move to the Johan Cruijff ArenA, with De Telegraaf reporting that the manager said "I want him to go to Ajax as soon as possible" when leaving the press room after speaking to the media. Bergwijn needs to play regular football ahead of the World Cup at the end of the year, something he unfortunately isn't going to get at Tottenham.
The ex-PSV man was quizzed about talk of a move to Ajax after the game, indicating that he isn't aware of a bid from the Dutch giants for his services. He did, however, make it clear that his next move will be to benefit his career.
"I read those things too, but haven't heard anything," he told NOS. When pressed on if he would like to go to Ajax, Bergwijn added: "I'm going to what is the best option for my career."
Making an instant impact at Tottenham with a stunning volley on his debut against Man City and scoring some notable goals during his spell at the club, it appears that another club will see the very best of Bergwijn over the coming years due to his current status in N17. Ajax are going to sign a star if the winger does indeed return to his home country in the weeks ahead.
