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Premier League Netherlands XI

As Sky Sports prepares to launch its coverage of the Eredivisie, we take a look at a team made up of Dutch stars currently playing in the Premier League...

Robin van Persie of Holland

From existing superstars such as Robin van Persie to future hopefuls such as Nathan Ake, the Premier League has more than its fair share of Dutch talent...

Michel Vorm (Tottenham)

The 30-year-old goalkeeper was a member of the Netherlands World Cup squad in the summer and has 15 caps for his country. He arrived in the Premier League in 2011, joining Swansea from Utrecht as a player with a fine reputation as a sweeper-keeper having made more than 100 Eredivisie appearances and his performances have since earned him a move to Tottenham.

Daryl Janmaat (Newcastle)

The attacking right-back was a regular in Louis van Gaal’s national team in Brazil this summer and has since signed for Alan Pardew’s Newcastle. The 25-year-old gained considerable experience in the Eredivisie, winning the KNVB Cup with Heerenveen in 2009 during a four-year stay with the club, before earning international honours during a two season spell at Feyenoord.

Erik Pieters (Stoke)

The former PSV left-back moved to the Premier League last summer and enjoyed a generally impressive time of it with Stoke City. His final season in Eindhoven was marred by injury but it was there that he forged his reputation, winning 17 caps for his country. Also capable of filling in at centre-back, Pieters made more than 140 Eredivisie appearances before his 24th birthday.

Ron Vlaar (Aston Villa)

One of the stars of the World Cup with his dominant displays in the heart of the Dutch defence, Vlaar certainly boosted his reputation in the summer. The 29-year-old made his international debut as an AZ Alkmaar player in 2005 and later earned a move to Feyenoord, where he spent seven seasons, winning the KNVB Cup in 2008 before moving to Aston Villa in 2012.

Jos Hooiveld (Southampton)

Hooiveld began his Eredivisie career with Heerenveen in 2003 before taking a circuitous route to the Premier League with Southampton. The defender played in Austria, Finland, Sweden, Scotland and Denmark before settling at Southampton. It was with Southampton he won promotion to the Premier League before playing his part in the club’s top-flight success story.

Leandro Bacuna (Aston Villa)

The Netherland Under-21 international earned a move to the Premier League with Aston Villa after spending four seasons in the Eredivisie with FC Groningen. Capable of playing in midfield or anywhere down the right flank and with a reputation as a free-kick specialist, Bacuna made more than 100 appearances in the Dutch top tier before his 22nd birthday.

Siem de Jong (Newcastle)

The 25-year-old Netherlands international has been a huge part of Ajax’s success in recent times as the club became the first to win the Eredivisie in four successive seasons. De Jong scored 78 goals in 244 appearances for the Amsterdam side in a support striker role before penning a six-year deal with Newcastle this summer.

Nathan Ake (Chelsea)

Already a Netherlands Under-21 international, the 19-year-old midfielder spent much of his teenage years within the Feyenoord youth system before joining the Chelsea academy setup in 2011. Ake has featured for the Blues in the Premier League in each of the last two seasons but is still waiting for his big breakthrough as a first-team regular.

Patrick van Aanholt (Sunderland)

Having signed for Sunderland this summer, Van Aanholt is now at his sixth different English club. The left-sided Netherlands international has previously represented Chelsea, Coventry, Newcastle, Leicester and Wigan but most of his first-team appearances have come in the Eredivisie during a three season loan stay with Vitesse.

Marvin Emnes (Swansea)

The Rotterdam-born player enjoyed his breakthrough season in the Eredivisie with Sparta Rotterdam in 2007/08 to earn a move to then Premier League side Middlesbrough. Now 26 and after two separate loan spells with the Welsh club, Emnes is officially a Swansea player and the former Netherlands Under-21 international will be looking for opportunities in attack or out wide.

Robin van Persie (Man Utd)

The Manchester United striker began his professional career as a 17-year-old left-winger with Feyenoord during the 2001/02 season. Van Persie scored 22 goals for the Rotterdam club during the course of three seasons before moving to Arsenal in 2004 and making his international debut the following year. More than 200 career goals later, he is among the world’s best forwards. 

Watch the Eredivisie on Sky Sports 5 from 12th August

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