“He has to stay fit and perform well for a number of games. He will only become stronger if he trains and plays well. Then he will have a real chance of being selected for the Austria and Switzerland finals,” the Netherlands boss told Sportweek magazine.

“If he does not succeed in doing so, then it will be a real shame for him, both as a person and a footballer. But in that case others will stand ahead of him. As a matter of fact, he hasn’t played much during the last year or so. Therefore, we have no idea on which level he now stands.” Van Basten added.

The former Groningen, PSV Eindhoven and Chelsea winger made his debut for the Oranje as a 19-year-old on April 30, 2003, before Van Basten took over. He’s gone on to score eight times in 31 outings, but has only played in 16 Real Madrid games this season and scored twice because of injuries.