Boudewijn Zenden accuses Tim Krul of Newcastle bias in Netherlands No.1 debate | OneFootball

Boudewijn Zenden has accused Tim Krul of letting his Newcastle past colour his view in the Netherlands No.1 debate, amid growing calls for Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs.

“I would choose Verbruggen.” “Roefs is coming, of course, but Verbruggen has been really good for years,” Krul said. He told Ziggo Sport.

“I understand that, Sunderland and Newcastle United don’t get along that well,” Zenden said. “But Roefs is really making a name for himself. He plays so well every week that he’s being praised extensively.”

Roefs joined from NEC Nijmegen in the summer and has been outstanding, with seven clean sheets and 74 saves, second only to Burnley’s Martin Dubravka on 85. Many already have him among the signings of the season, while Anthony Patterson has been restricted to cup ties.

Capped widely at youth level, the 23-year-old received senior call-ups in August and November. He has been on the bench for six World Cup qualifiers without debuting under Ronald Koeman, who has favoured Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen, while Mark Flekken, now at Bayer Leverkusen, played twice. Dutch analyst Johan Derksen has argued Roefs should be promoted to No.1.

Uncapped for now, Roefs is pushing a serious case to start at the World Cup. Koeman will surely want a good look before the tournament, and Oranje’s next friendlies against Norway and Ecuador in March offer a window.

Source: Sunderland Echo