Netherlands

Netherlands ace Wesley Sneijder: Robin van Persie is in "hell" right now

By Shane Callaghan, Reporter | 12 November 2015

Wesley Sneijder says that out-of-form Robin van Persie must climb out of "hell" and prove his class if he is to earn a Netherlands recall.

Wesley Sneijder has backed former Netherlands teammate Robin van Persie to ascend from his personal "hell" and prove his class once more.

The 32-year-old was dropped by coach Danny Blind for the Oranje's upcoming friendlies with Wales and Germany, three months after being stripped of the captaincy.

The ex-Arsenal and Manchester United hitman has struggled for form since signing for Turkish side Besiktas in the summer, scoring five times in 18 games, but Sneijder, who endured a similar plight before joining Galatasaray, backs Van Persie to rise above it.

"If Van Persie is on top form, he should still be part of the team, but it's not for me to determine if a teammate is in shape or not," he told Algemeen Dagblad.

"Something like this happened to me a few years ago. In these cases, you can only do two things: throw in the towel or give your all to show that the others are wrong.

"I chose the second path and I hope that Van Persie does the same. But I know that when you go through a moment like this, you feel like you're in hell."

Van Persie has 50 goals in 101 caps for his country.