A departure from Groningen is now ‘almost inevitable’ for Kevin Van Veen after the former Motherwell talisman opened up on Rangers’ interest.
That is the view of Hans Nijland, Groningen’s chief executive from 1996 all the way to 2019.
Nijland watched on with interest as Kevin van Veen arrived at the Euroborg promising to break the 30-goal barrier, like he had done at Motherwell last season. Following a dramatic change of circumstances, however, the well-travelled centre-forward could be stuck on five for quite a while.
Van Veen is now out of favour at Groningen.
And, in an interview with the Scottish Sun this week, he did not rule out a quick return to Britain, claiming that there was ‘definitely interest from Rangers’ over the summer.
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Whether Rangers renew that interest in January remains to be seen. But Nijland is certainly not expecting Van Veen to still be wearing green come February 1st, regardless of whether Philippe Clement’s side come to his rescue.
“One thing has become clear; Kevin van Veen can talk well. There is nothing wrong with that. But he has indeed not yet lived up to expectations,” Nijland tells Voetbal Primeur.
“I know a bit about marriages. I can’t imagine this is going to be a brilliant marriage. He will earn a big salary and, if you don’t play, it will almost be inevitable that you will break up during the winter. That is best for all parties.”
Van Veen, nominated for Scotland’s Player of the Year award in 2022/23 before leaving Motherwell in a £500,000 deal, has played down suggestions that he has suffered a breakdown in relations with Groningen coach Dirk Lukkien.
His absence from the XI, the player himself admits, is the result of his defensive capabilities, or his lack thereof. A point which has Nijland drawing comparisons between Van Veen an one of the greatest strikers of all-time, although the Dutchman’s potency in the area is often undermined by his ineffectiveness on the outside (RTV Noord).
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“Gerd Muller was given one assignment by his coach at Bayern Munich. ‘You don’t leave the penalty area, because you can’t play football’. Just throw the ball in (the net). That’s what he did,” the legendary CEO adds.
“Of course, Van Veen is not a Muller, but he is a boy who can score a goal. He has proven that in Scotland.”
Rangers are reportedly looking for a new forward in January, and Van Veen has the added advantage of boasting a proven track record in Scottish football.
