Louis van Gaal names Holland’s World Cup squad, but has no room for Sven Botman or Ryan Gravenberch

Louis van Gaal has announced his Dutch squad for the World Cup but found no place for Sven Botman or Ryan Gravenberch in his 26-man squad.

The Dutch manager is preparing to take his country to Group A, where they face Senegal, Ecuador and tournament host Qatar.

In his 26-man selection, which was announced on Twitter on Friday, Van Gaal has chosen to take PSV’s rising star, Xavi Simons, with him. At the age of 19, he’s been tipped to be someone for the future, and he’s been given an early chance to show himself on the international stage.

However, Van Gaal has chosen not to select Newcastle United’s in-form centre-back Botman and Bayern Munich’s midfielder Gravenberch, as reported by The Telegraph.

Louis van Gaal has announced his 26-man Holland selection for the World Cup later this month

PSV’s young star of the future Xavi Simons has been named one of the lucky players

The experienced goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen, who has 63 Dutch caps to his name since 2013, also missed the selection. It is another international blow to the shotstopper after he missed Euro 2020 due to a Covid-19 diagnosis.

Dutch site AD said that the decision to leave Cillessen at home made the 33-year-old “explode in anger.”

Botman, who came to Newcastle United from Lille in the summer, has missed despite his name in the preliminary squad. The central defender represented the Netherlands at youth level, but did not play for the seniors.

Bayern midfielder Gravenberch, 20, has played 11 games for the Netherlands, but only one in 2022, and he has missed out due to fierce competition for places.

Other absentees from the team are Brian Brobbey, Guus Til, Micky van de Ven, Devyne Rensch and Mitchel Bakker.

Ajax’s Rensch is missing a spot in the team, with Van Gaal opting instead for Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong as right-back.

However, there are a host of high-profile names in the 26, including Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk, Bayern Munich’s Mathijs de Ligt and Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong.

The frontline of the Netherlands is led by Memphis Depay and Steven Bergwijn, among others.

Van Gaal will hold a press conference on Friday afternoon to explain his selection.

He had previously emailed players to inform them that those who would be disappointed by their omission would receive this information before those selected were told.

The Dutch side will meet on Monday, November 14, before traveling to Qatar. Their opening game against Senegal is on Monday, November 21.

Newcastle United centre-back Sven Botman is among those who miss the trip to Qatar

Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern was only allowed to play for the Netherlands once this year