Brian Brobbey is enjoying a standout season at Sunderland, yet his football continues to divide opinion in his homeland. Former Denmark international Kenneth Perez has voiced a preference for seeing Max Merdink take on a forward role for the Netherlands instead of the Sunderland ace.
Brobbey made the switch to Sunderland from Ajax last summer and has since made a notable impact, netting 10 goals and providing one assist in 38 appearances. Just before the international break, he made headlines by scoring a hat-trick against Manchester City.
With the Dutch national team facing a shortage of central forwards, Brobbey seemed poised to secure his place. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury has ruled him out of the current squad.
One alternative for the national side is Max Merdink, whose playing style Perez believes would be a better fit for the team's attacking needs.
Perez expressed his views:
We need players with technical skills on the pitch. I'm quite tired of the pointless physical brawling. I want to see players who can truly play.
He specifically drew comparisons between Merdink, Brobbey, and Joshua Zirkzee:
I prefer watching Merdink over Brobbey. I'm getting a bit weary of this rough-and-tumble style, the constant tussling and so on. It’s the same with Zirkzee — you sometimes find yourself thinking: "Come on, just do something already."
I really enjoyed how Merdink distributed the ball to his teammates. I definitely favour him.
That said, Brobbey's impressive stats at Sunderland bolster his claim for a place in the national squad. If he continues to find the net regularly in the Premier League, the competition for a spot in the Dutch attack is only going to heat up.
