Schaars in dreamland
AZ Alkmaar youngster Stijn Schaars says he is on cloud nine.
AZ Alkmaar youngster Stijn Schaars says he is on cloud nine after being put on Dutch coach Marco van Basten's stand-by list.Netherlands coach van Basten has a real injury headache to contend with, as Wesley Sneijder, Kew Jaliens, Philip Cocu, Rafael van der Vaart and Giovanni van Bronckhorst are all carrying knocks.
Sneijder and van der Vaart are the most worrying and midfield pair Schaars and Nigel de Jong have been placed on stand-by.
Schaars has had to cut short his celebrations after lifting the European Under-21 championship to link up with the full squad and his selection has not yet sunk in.
"It's hard to keep a clear head," he said. "It's fantastic for me."
The captain of the Under-21 side believes van Basten has been monitoring his progress for some time.
"I haven't played a super strong tournament," he said. "I know that van Basten has been following me for a long time."
