NEC coach Dick Schreuder devastated by death of former player Jesús de Miguel

NEC head coach Dick Schreuder has expressed his devastation following the death of CD Tenerife forward Jesús de Miguel. The striker died in hospital on Tuesday morning after suffering serious injuries during Tenerife’s Segunda División match against FC Andorra on Monday.

De Miguel was injured in a challenge by Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono, who was shown a red card. Tenerife initially said the forward’s condition was stable given the severity of the situation, but a subsequent neurological deterioration was reported before his death.

Schreuder worked with De Miguel for two years at CD Castellón and said they had remained in occasional contact. Current NEC assistant Nick van der Velden and goalkeeper Gonzalo Crettaz were also part of the Castellón set-up during that period. “I’m completely devastated,” Schreuder told De Telegraaf, as reported by FCUpdate. He described De Miguel as outstanding both professionally and personally, and said the news had hit everyone connected to their time at Castellón hard.

SC Cambuur coach Johan Plat, another former colleague of De Miguel at Castellón, said he had struggled to focus while taking training on Tuesday. Plat remembered the Spaniard as a kind, modest and hard-working player. De Miguel scored 16 league goals in the 2023/24 season, helping Castellón secure promotion to Spain’s second tier, and Plat offered his condolences to the forward’s family.