Donyell Malen, the AS Roma striker, played the entire match against Internazionale on Saturday, but will now miss out on the international break. This is a bigger surprise than Justin Kluivert's absence, as the Bournemouth midfielder suffered an injury in the Europa League midweek and is expected to be out for several weeks.
Justin Kluivert's injury is not a new development, as his trainer had already mentioned that he would be out for a few weeks. The 24-year-old midfielder will now be replaced by Mexx Meerdink, who was previously called up by Ronald Koeman but had to withdraw due to an injury. Meerdink is an attacker for AZ and is likely to make his debut for the Dutch national team.
Guus Til, the PSV midfielder, will also replace Justin Kluivert in the Dutch national team. Til was not included in Xavi's initial squad for the World Cup, which led to some surprise from Peter Bosz. However, he will now get the chance to play for the national team, and the news will likely be a welcome relief for him.
Xavi's first match as the Dutch national team coach will be against Germany on Thursday, as part of the Nations League. The Dutch team will also face Serbia and Greece in the coming weeks.