Jol Veltman has been a regular for Brighton & Hove Albion since joining from Ajax in 2020. This season, the right-back has made 10 appearances, including five league starts.
The Seagulls will host Ajax in the Europa League on October 26th, and the 31-year-old will face his former team.
Ajax Life spoke with the Brighton player about the forthcoming European match and a few other issues.
Since there has been a lot of rotation at the Premier League side this season, it’s unclear whether the Netherlands international will play against his former team, and the defender has explained why Roberto De Zerbi has taken this method.
“I’m all right. I’ve spent the last three years playing a lot. We now have an even stronger squad, with greater competitiveness and quality. As a result, there is more rotation. Even if you perform well, you occasionally wind up on the bench so you can stay fit all season,” he explained.
For the past few seasons, the Seagulls have only competed in domestic events. They have more games this season because they have qualified for the Europa League for the first time in their history.
The Dutchman believes there is another reason why there must be greater rotation.
“This is especially noticeable in the pace.” During my first matches here, I was amazed by how quickly the game fluctuated, even in injury time. “The Dutch competition is very technical, but this is a step higher in terms of physicality,” Veltman noted.
On the national team front, things haven’t been going well for the Brighton defender, who last played for them in June 2021, at the European Championship. Veltman has finally realised that Oranje manager Ronald Koeman would overlook him.
When asked if Koeman’s unwillingness to include him in the team surprised him, Veltman replied, “Koeman wants fit boys.” I’ve been there before, but he also has to like you as a player.
“Unfortunately, that has not been the case thus far. I give it my all and will continue to do so. However, you can see that Jurrin Timber drops out and you are still not called up. Then you must be realistic and recognise that the chances are diminishing.”
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