Before each Netherlands call-up, Xavi Hernandez picked up the phone to Justin Kluivert’s former managers.

The Bournemouth forward told Goal that the Netherlands head coach spoke to his previous club coaches before each international call-up, vetting lifestyle and professionalism as part of his selection process.

“He also wants to know who he is dealing with, so he spoke with former coaches of mine,” Kluivert said to Goal.

Xavi was appointed Netherlands head coach on 12 August 2026, becoming the first non-Dutch manager of the men’s Oranje since 1978. He replaced Ronald Koeman, who left after the national team was knocked out by Morocco in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup, losing 4-2 on penalties on 29 June.

Read also: Mauricio Pochettino has already made his feelings on Bruno Fernandes clear ahead of Man Utd move

A coach who watches everything

Kluivert told Goal that Xavi’s involvement goes well past selection meetings. The former Barcelona manager is working through matches and detail with his staff and letting his players see the effort.

Xavi and his staff kept Kluivert in the November squad for the Nations League double-header, with Frenkie de Jong returning after a serious knee injury suffered at the World Cup and Steven Bergwijn again left out.

The Morocco penalty that still gnaws

The road back into the national team was always going to run through Morocco. Introduced in extra time with the score at 1-1, Kluivert stepped up in the shootout and missed, one of three Dutch failures on the night that sent Oranje out of the World Cup at the first knockout round.

“That has certainly gnawed at me. And then it just doesn’t go in. Oh well, the risks of the trade,” he told Goal.

Read also: Arsenal target £100m midfielder as Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino face uncertain futures

He acknowledged to Goal that he has also had around three clear chances in Netherlands colours that should have gone in, a lean international record he is trying to flip rather than explain away.

Bournemouth form and the Greece fixture

At club level Kluivert is in one of the better runs of his career. Bournemouth sit seventh in the Premier League after 10 matches, a point behind Everton, with three wins in their last four.

Kluivert told Goal that he no longer sees himself as the 21- or 22-year-old who felt tracked by Real Madrid scouts, and that the focus now is the Greece fixture on Friday.

Kick-off at the Johan Cruijff ArenA is at 8:45pm local time on Friday, 13 November, with the Netherlands level on points with Greece at the top of their Nations League group before matchday.

Read also: ’40 years of hell’: Donald Trump makes fresh demand over baseball legend Pete Rose

Read also: Inside Harry Kane’s extreme fitness regime: Electric needles, five-hour sessions and strict diet