Castelen keen to do it for Dutch
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Article summary
Romeo Castelen has yet to show his true worth at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship but the flying forward is doing his best to make an impact.
Article body
Romeo Castelen has yet to show his true worth at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship but the flying forward is doing his best to make an impact.
Thigh injury
The 23-year-old is fully committed to the Netherlands cause here in Portugal despite unexpectedly missing out on the senior squad for the FIFA World Cup next month in Germany. After being denied space by some uncompromising defenders in the 2-1 defeat by Ukraine, he then had the misfortune of sitting out last night's 1-1 draw with Denmark because of a thigh injury.
Working hard
Castelen is working hard to return for the decisive Group B meeting with Italy on Monday, when the Dutch must win to have any chance of reaching the semi-finals. The Feyenoord youngster is undergoing intensive treatment and will benefit from the extra rest period before the fixture, though it is not clear whether he will be passed fit to face the Italians.
Determined
"It has been a long season but I want to carry on because this is a big tournament for youth football," Castelen told uefa.com. "Portugal is a nice place to be and I want to be here. I want to be part of it. I want to be the European champions. Hopefully, we are going to do it, play a good game and stay in the tournament. We know what we are up against."
