By Nicholas Rigillo Jun 24, 2006, 21:53 GMT
Nuremberg - Dutch coach Marco van Basten refused to reveal Saturday whether Ruud van Nistelrooy would play against Portugal following reports that he was ready to replace the Manchester United striker with Dirk Kuyt in Nuremberg.
'I am not saying anything about the formation,' van Basten told reporters when asked whether van Nistelrooy would play on Sunday.
There has been growing speculation that the 41-year-old coach planned to drop van Nistelrooy for Holland's Round of 16 match.
The 29-year-old striker has disappointed expectations, scoring just one goal and ending up being substituted in all of his three World Cup appearances so far.
Van Basten himself played a central role in fuelling the speculation when he told a press conference this week he was 'unhappy' with van Nistelrooy's performance and that Kuyt had a 'very strong chance' of playing against Portugal.
Van Nistelrooy has scored 28 goals in 54 appearances for the Dutch national side and is said to have been furious at his coach's remarks.
Asked whether he had since cleared matters with the Manchester United striker, van Basten said: 'I've had a chat with him on Thursday. We talked about football and about the expectations I have of him. He agreed with me and said he would do anything he could to play better,' van Basten said Saturday.
While the evidence appeared to weigh in favour of van Nistelrooy being dropped, some reporters noted that van Basten may have merely been attempting to stimulate the player to do better. Other said the coach may have been playing a tactical game with the media ahead of Sunday's match.
One player who appeared almost certain of not playing on Sunday was midfielder Mark van Bommel, who was expected to be replaced by Rafael van der Vaart.
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