This is confirmed by Sparta Rotterdam coach Jeroen Rijsdijk to news. – It’s nice to see that he’s signed on, he says. National team manager Ståle Solbakken and the NFF first select 35-40 names that make up the gross squad for the upcoming national team selection. Kitolano’s name is on the list. On Tuesday 3 October, these will be cut down to a final squad, probably around 25 players, when Solbakken announces the squad for the upcoming international matches against Cyprus and Spain. – Was a complete player The Sparta Rotterdam coach is full of praise for Kitolano, who has been an important piece and plays regularly for the team, which is currently in sixth place in the Honors division. – He has energy, wins many second balls, makes deep runs and has become a complete midfielder, says Rijsdijk to news. ROSAR ELEVEN: Jeroen Rijsdijk is happy to have Kitolano on his team. Photo: news He was previously an assistant coach when current Ajax coach Maurice Steijn was at the club. Together with the club’s chief scout, he was the one who went to Skien to fine-tune Kitolano before they bought him in June last year. – He has things to learn, and he knows that himself, but his development is getting better and better, says Rijsdijk to news. – Extremely popular Another person who has allowed himself to be impressed is Bart Kruijt, journalist in Voetbal International. He covers Sparta Rotterdam closely and thinks Kitolano has been one of the best midfielders in the Honors Division. – Joshua is one of the most important players in this Sparta team. He is extremely popular, and one of the first names Jeroen Rijsdijk lists when he is going to take out a team, says Kruijt to news. Kruijt says that Sparta’s startlingly good performances in the league in the last two seasons are due, among other things, to a midfield trio that works very well. It consists of Jonathan De Guzman as a defensive midfielder, Arno Verschueren as an attacking midfielder and Joshua Kitolano as a box-to-box player. – Sparta’s midfield just clicks, it just works. Joshua is not the main man when it comes to goals and goal-scoring passes, but is extremely important with his recovery and endurance. He is everywhere on the field and his hard work makes him incredibly popular among Sparta fans, says Kruijt. MAJOR PLAYER: Joshua Kitolano has reason to smile. His career is on the right track. Photo: news Solbakken: Tough competition National team manager Ståle Solbakken will not reveal anything about Kitolano before the draw on Tuesday. But he confirms to news that he is closely following Kitolano’s achievements in the Netherlands. At the same time, Solbakken points out that there is a tough competitive situation in exactly the position of the 22-year-old. – We probably see him more as an inside runner and running machine, and less as a ball distributor. And there the competition is fierce. He competes with players such as Martin Ødegaard, Sander Berge, Fredrik Aursnes and Hugo Vetlesen, says Solbakken to news. He says that the support apparatus of the national team has seen Kitolano several times, both from the stands and via the analysis tool Wyscout. Solbakken was particularly impressed by what he saw in the U21 EC this summer. – He was one of the better ones there. And more tone-setting with the ball than he has been in the matches we have seen in the Dutch honors division, says Solbakken. HAS AMBITION: Joshua Kitolano is in the gross squad for the A national team. Now he has ambitions to play his way into the squad. Photo: Nikola Krstic / NTB Kitolano: – Would be an honor Kitolano himself is excited before the upcoming national team selection. When news reads out the names of the players Solbakken lists as main competitors, he begins to grin widely. – These are players who play in quite good leagues, different types of players than me. I’m here to compete, and basically it’s just about putting in the work. If I deserve a place, then I deserve a place, says Kitolano to news. – Do you deserve a place? – You don’t have to ask me about that. I focus on working on and showing that I have something to offer. Then we’ll see, he says. – What will it mean for you to become a Norwegian A national team player? – There are many who dream of playing for an A national team. From the moment you join the circuit team, there is one goal you work towards, and that is to join an A national team in the end. That would be great. I have been on all age-specific national teams, so it would be an honour. GOOD CHAMPIONSHIP: Joshua Kitolano was labeled by many as Norway’s best player in the U21 EC. Photo: Nikola Krstic / NTB – Hopes he is in the squad Sparta Rotterdam coach Jeroen Rijsdijk has not spoken to Ståle Solbakken yet, but he is confident that Kitolano can do a good job if he is drafted. – I don’t know exactly who he is competing with, but he learns and adapts quickly, and did the same when he came to Sparta last year. When he plays with better players, he adapts. I hope he is in the squad, he says. Journalist Bart Kruijt believes that Kitolano has been so good that it is only a matter of time before he can disappear from Sparta Rotterdam. – It is clear that Sparta is only an intermediate step for him. Last season he was already one of the best midfielders in the league, and if he can improve this season, I am sure that a bigger club will come for him, says Kruijt. – It is also my understanding that Joshua came to Sparta with the plan to stay for two years and then take the next step in his career. He signed a contract until 2026, so in this way Sparta can earn a good amount of money as well. Joshua was a big purchase for Sparta, but of course nobody regrets the money they paid, he adds. The value can increase even more if Kitolano becomes an A national team player for Norway. The withdrawal will be made public on Tuesday at 12 noon.
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– He is extremely popular – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
