Brentford defender Sepp van den Berg has admitted he’s eyeing a place in Xavi’s Netherlands squad now he’s returned to fitness.

The centre-back has recently spent five months out of action due to a groin injury picked up in July. That saw him miss 72 days in total, and seven games for Brentford.

It was the second longest spell out of his career to date. That record is currently 150 days due to torn ankle ligaments at Schalke.

He made his return earlier this month – ironically against former club Liverpool – playing 71 minutes in that 2-1 defeat before then playing 90 minutes against Hull City last weekend.

Netherlands plan

The plan is to now re-establish himself in Brentford’s defence after making 38 appearances in all competitions for the Bees last season. But his ambitions go beyond that. He’s also eyeing up a place in Xavi’s Netherland’s squad.

The defender is yet to make his debut for the senior Dutch side, despite playing for both the U19s and U21s. But he is hoping to change that soon.

“I want to make my debut for Oranje this season,” he said.

“That is my goal. If I play regularly here, I hope to receive an invitation from the new national team coach.”

Netherlands competition

Whether he can catch the eye of Xavi and his staff remains to be seen. The Netherlands coach is well stocked when it comes to centre-backs after all.

Among his current options are Virgil van Dijk, Jurriën Timber and Jan Paul van Hecke. Then there’s Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven, who many believe should be playing centre-back but has instead spent most of his international career as a left-back.

That’s four starters already, never mind some of the other options that Xavi can call upon should he wish. The competition for the Brentford man is fierce, to say the least.

For now, his focus needs to be on getting back to his best with the Bees. Then he can start to look beyond, with this next international break likely to be coming too soon for his ambitions.