Van Marwijk: Van Nistelrooy has a World Cup chance

Apr 6, 2010, 11:19 GMT

Hamburg - Ruud van Nistelrooy has a chance of making the Dutch World Cup squad if he his fit, Netherlands coach bert van Marwijk told Tuesday's edition of German sports magazine Kicker.

Van Marwijk said he will watch the striker van Nistelrooy on Thursday when his club SV Hamburg plays a Europa League quarter-final at Belgian side Standard Liege.

Van Nistelrooy, 33, retired from the Dutch team after Euro 2008 but is now keen to return. The injury-ridden player even left Real Madrid in January for Hamburg in order to play matches.

'Ruud wants to go there (to the World Cup) but he must be fit and in form. He says that himself and I agree,' van Marwijk told Kicker.

Van Marwijk reiterated that van Nistelrooy must signal whether he really wants to return and that 'I will then decide whether Ruud will go to the World Cup.'

While van Nistelrooy still has a chance, van Marwijk has all but written off his Hamburg team-mate Eljero Elia over an ankle operation.

Van Marwijk said he does not expect the midfielder Elia to be fit in time for the June 11-July 11 World Cup in South Africa where the Dutch play Denmark, Japan and Cameroon in group E.