Kees Smit admits Jong Oranje decision contributed to month-long absence
The AZ midfielder returned against Juventus and says playing for the Netherlands Under-21s while below full fitness was a mistake.
Kees Smit has acknowledged that joining Jong Oranje while not fully fit was an unwise decision after making his AZ comeback in Thursday’s 2-1 Europa League defeat by Juventus. The midfielder had been unavailable for around a month before returning as a second-half substitute.
Smit started the Under-21 qualifiers against Norway and Slovenia despite reporting for international duty short of full fitness. He contributed a goal and an assist in the 4-2 victory over Slovenia but subsequently missed the 4-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina through injury. That final result secured a play-off place.
AZ coach Lee-Roy Echteld introduced Smit for the final half-hour against Juventus with his side trailing 2-0. Fellow substitutes Jordy Clasie, Elijah Dijkstra and Ayoub Oufkir also helped improve AZ’s performance. Mexx Meerdink pulled one back late on, while Mees de Wit had an injury-time effort disallowed as the hosts fell short of completing the comeback.
Reflecting on his fitness, Smit told Ziggo Sport, as reported by FCUpdate, that going away with Jong Oranje was “maybe not smart” because he did not feel completely right. He added that the problem has now cleared and that he is fit again, while accepting that his desire to play as often as possible is something he must manage better. His return comes after AZ collected only one point from their previous four Eredivisie matches, a run that left them fifth.
Reported first by
This English write-up is our own summary of the reporting above. Full details remain with the original publishers — please read them at the source.