THE FUSE

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Ruud Nijstad (18) is chasing a place at the 2027 European Championship with the Netherlands Under-21s this week. Voetbalzone spoke to the talented FC Twente defender at a media session in Zeist.

With 17-year-old Jerayno Schaken (Feyenoord) called up, Nijstad is no longer the youngest member of the Netherlands' top youth side. The left-footed defender has already played 43 competitive matches for Twente.

Ajax's visit to the Grolsch Veste last Sunday gave Nijstad a match to savour. The entertaining contest ended 2-2. "It was a good match that went back and forth, with lots of enjoyable moments for the viewers too, I think."

"An intense match, but great fun to play in. I think Ajax started more strongly than we did, but at a certain point that changed and we began to have the ball more often. We didn't create a great deal, but we created more than Ajax. All in all, a draw was fair to both sides," Nijstad believes.

Born in Almelo, the defender is pleased with his start to the season. "I've been playing consistently over the past few months and things are going well for us as a team. We understand each other very well on the pitch and have shown in big matches what we're capable of. We'll see how long we can keep this up, but I'm confident."

Nijstad is also glad he stayed in Enschede. "One hundred per cent. I enjoy every day at Twente and I'm having a great time in a team that's performing well, so I'm very happy at the club."

Despite repeated links with FC Barcelona in the Catalan media, Nijstad tries to tune out the speculation. "A lot of things come up, but I always try to shut myself off from them a bit. Things are going well for me and that's what I'm focusing on now."

Netherlands Under-21s

His progress has earned Nijstad a Netherlands Under-21s call-up for the second international break in a row. "It's always an honour to represent your country, so it's great to have received another email."

Nijstad already feels at home in the squad. "Mats (Rots, ed.) has been here for a while and looked after me well last time. Of course, I already knew him well from Twente. Dies (Janse, ed.) is also with the same management agency."

"But that really goes for everyone. The Netherlands Under-21s are simply a great group, so that makes it even nicer to come back here," Nijstad says. He gets on particularly well with midfielder Sean Steur.

At the players' hotel, the two are almost inseparable. "I'm basically with him all day. We play pool together or play on the PlayStation in our room. It's nice to see Sean every day for a week again. We play FIFA on the PlayStation, but he's not very good, so I can manage that."

Being younger than many of his team-mates makes no difference to Nijstad. "Everyone here is called up for a reason. When you're on the pitch, you're just a footballer. Age doesn't matter then. I don't feel younger than the rest."

Under-21 European Championship

Denmark await the Netherlands Under-21s in the play-offs during this international break. The two sides will compete over two legs for a place at the 2027 European Championship, which takes place next summer in Albania and Serbia.

For Nijstad, qualifying for the youth European Championship could be important to his development. "I just want to go to that tournament to play against top strikers from other countries."

"It's good to find out how you can hold your own against them. I can also get to know my teammates even better during a tournament like that. You learn all sorts of new things there and that would be very good for my development," the defender realises.

There is no sense of tension in the Netherlands Under-21s squad, according to Nijstad. "Everyone knows we have to win. That's the most important thing. I don't think we need to put extra pressure on ourselves. During the last international break, we also had to win three times to stay in contention. Fortunately, two wins and a draw proved enough in the end."

Asked what would make this week a success, Nijstad has a clear answer. "If I get to make my debut for the Netherlands Under-21s, we win twice and qualify for the European Championship. Then it will have been a successful trip."