Wijndal earns Oranje chants after starring in Ajax rout

Owen Wijndal took centre stage as Ajax swept aside FC Midtjylland 6-1 in Thursday’s Conference League match in Denmark. The left-back scored the visitors’ third goal and, according to Dutch newspaper coverage compiled by Voetbalzone, was involved in three of Ajax’s six strikes.

The travelling support responded by singing for Wijndal to return to the Netherlands squad. It marked a notable change in tone for a player who has faced frequent criticism from Ajax supporters in recent years. The 26-year-old has started regularly while Caio Henrique has been sidelined, although the Brazilian is now close to recovering from his injury.

Ajax coach Míchel Sánchez would not predict whether national-team coach Xavi Hernández would select Wijndal. “Whether it is enough, I don’t know,” Sánchez told Voetbalzone, while praising the defender’s recent performances and desire to put himself in contention. He also identified Youri Baas, Aaron Bouwman, Dies Janse and Jorthy Mokio as young Dutch players with international ambitions.

Wijndal has made 11 senior appearances for the Netherlands. He debuted against Mexico in October 2020 and featured regularly during the first half of 2021 before dropping out of the international picture. His display in Herning also drew praise in the Dutch morning papers, with De Telegraaf describing him as rejuvenated and the Algemeen Dagblad identifying him as a driving force behind Ajax’s emphatic win.