Nigel De Jong has been recalled to the 25-man preliminary Holland squad for the friendly with Austria.
Combative midfielder could face Austria
Nigel De Jong has been recalled to the 25-man preliminary Holland squad for the friendly with Austria next month.
The 26-year-old midfielder was dropped by coach Bert van Marwijk last October following his challenge which broke Hatem Ben Arfa's leg during the clash between Manchester City and Newcastle.
De Jong is known for his tough-tackling and was the culprit of a high boot in the chest against Xabi Alonso during the World Cup final last summer, which resulted in a yellow card.
He missed the Euro 2012 qualifying wins over Moldova and Sweden, but he has now been given another chance on the international stage.
Arjen Robben has not been included with Van Marwijk giving the Bayern Munich winger more time to recover from a lengthy injury absence.
"Arjen and I have talked extensively and we both believe he needs more time to completely return to his former level," the coach said.
Luuk de Jong and Kevin Strootman have been handed their first call-ups for the clash in Eindhoven on 9th February.
Holland squad:
Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax), Michel Vorm (FC Utrecht);
Peter Wisgerhof (FC Twente), John Heitinga (Everton), Demy de Zeeuw(Ajax), Hedwiges Maduro (Valencia), Joris Mathijsen (Hamburg), Gregory van der Wiel (Ajax), Erik Pieters (PSV Eindhoven);
Mark van Bommel (AC Milan), Ibrahim Afellay (Barcelona), Urby Emanuelson (AC Milan), Nigel de Jong (Manchester City), Theo Janssen (FC Twente), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan), Rafael van der Vaart (Tottenham), Kevin Strootman (FC Utrecht), Stijn Schaars (AZ Alkmaar);
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Luuk de Jong (FC Twente), Ruud van Nistelrooy, Eljero Elia (both Hamburg), Jeremain Lens (PSV Eindhoven).
