Gini Wijnaldum has not completed a full 90 minutes for PSG in over two months, and the former Liverpool midfielder has now been dropped by the Netherlands.
It is fair to say things have not gone according to plan for Wijnaldum in his first season since leaving Merseyside.
While the Dutchman secured a lucrative contract with PSG upon the expiry of his deal with Liverpool, his game time has decreased hugely.
So far this season, Wijnaldum has only played 1,914 minutes, averaging just 53.2 minutes on the pitch across his 36 appearances in all competitions.
In his last campaign with Liverpool, he clocked 3,922 minutes over 51 games, averaging 76.9 minutes on the pitch per outing and wearing the captain’s armband on 11 occasions.
He also captained the Netherlands in the absence of Virgil van Dijk, but over the past year their fortunes have changed dramatically – so much so that Louis van Gaal has now been forced to drop Wijnaldum.
“Unfortunately, little has changed in Gini’s situation at his club since our last two international matches in March,” Van Gaal explained.
“As a result, I am forced to make other choices, no matter how difficult and regrettable I personally find it.”
The Netherlands will play four times in June, with Van Dijk called into the preliminary squad to face Belgium (June 3), Wales (June 8), Poland (June 11) and Wales again (June 14) in the UEFA Nations League.
That means Van Dijk will depart for international duty straight after the Champions League final on May 28, with the centre-back then due a short break before reconvening with Liverpool for pre-season.
Despite being left out of Van Gaal’s squad, it is likely to be a busy summer for Wijnaldum, with a departure from PSG to be expected.
In January, the 31-year-old was linked with a return to the Premier League with either Arsenal or Newcastle, and both sides could revive their interest.
There is little to no chance of a return to Liverpool, however, with Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni identified as a summer target.
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