Still not giving up on that Man United move
Wesley Sneijder has begun training with fifth tier Dutch side DHSC, based in his hometown of Utrecht. The former Inter, Real Madrid, Ajax and almost Manchester United player is determined to make a return to top flight football after announcing his retirement in August 2019.
A report from Dutch media outlet RTV Utrecht says Sneijder wants to play for his hometown club if Utrecht in the Eredivisie, something on his “bucket list” having begun his club career with Ajax. In the meantime, he is training with local side DHSC to gain fitness, having not played competitive football for almost a year.
Sneijder most recently played in Qatar for Al-Gharafa after OGC Nice released him with just five appearances under his belt. But his career highlights came a decade ago, when he won the treble with Inter Milan under Jose Mourinho and reached the World Cup final with the Netherlands.
His former international teammate Arjen Robben also announced he would be coming out of retirement to play for his hometown side FC Groningen and help them recover from the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, 20 years after he made his debut for the club.
Sneijder faces a big challenge in returning to the necessary levels of fitness to compete at the top level now, and is seeking the assistance of former footballer and performance coach Iwan Redan, who has told Dutch media he is eager to get Sneijder fit again within four or five months.
Redan worked with Dutch winger Eljero Elia when he moved from Southampton to Feyenoord, helping him shed excess fat and earn a move to Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir.
It’s unlikely that Sneijder will will be able to pique Manchester United’s interest again, but you never know. They did sign Bastian Schweinsteiger after all.
