AMSTERDAM, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal on Friday sprung some surprises as he named a 39-man preliminary squad for the World Cup in Qatar next month.
Mitchel Bakker, Xavi Simons and Micky van de Ven were named for the first time while uncapped Sven Botman, Jeremie Frimpong and Pascal Struijk, who have received previous call-ups, were also included in a list dominated by nine players from Dutch champions Ajax Amsterdam.
All World Cup-bound teams are required to select between 35 and 55 players in a preliminary list by Friday and it is from this list that they must make the final selection of 26 by 1800 GMT on Nov. 14.
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe Dutch compete at the World Cup in Group A and start the tournament on Nov. 21 with a match against Senegal, followed by Ecuador and Qatar in the first round.
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterWriting by Mark Gleeson in Cape TownOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.