NAC pair Reulen and Van Aarst make their mark with Dutch youth teams

NAC Breda prospects Pepijn Reulen and Rayan van Aarst have returned to the club’s first-team group after representing Dutch youth sides in friendly tournaments. Reulen featured for the Netherlands Under-19s in Portugal, while Van Aarst helped the Under-18s win their event in Marbella.

Reulen scored shortly after coming off the bench in a 1-1 draw with Belgium, converting a rebound following a defensive error. The 18-year-old striker was also a substitute in the 6-1 defeat by Portugal before starting the 1-0 loss to Austria. He acknowledged that limited starts for NAC have left him short of match rhythm, but remains focused on earning more first-team minutes.

Van Aarst’s tournament ended on a brighter note. After sitting out the Under-18s’ 2-1 win over Norway, the 17-year-old defender started the 1-0 victory against Ireland and was given the captain’s armband. He retained his place for the 2-2 draw with the United States that secured the tournament title. Speaking to NAC Breda’s official website, Van Aarst described captaining his country as “really special” and said the responsibility gave him confidence.

The defender, who previously played for Morocco Under-17s, has not made a final decision about his international future. For now, he wants to continue developing and maintain regular playing time with either NAC’s senior side or Under-21s. Reulen, meanwhile, has been told by Netherlands Under-19 coach Nicky Kuiper to keep working at club level as he targets selection for November’s qualification period.