Sem Steijn remained unused on Feyenoord's bench during Saturday's 1–1 draw with Fortuna Sittard, a decision that involved the player himself as much as manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Luciano Valente put Feyenoord ahead in the first half from a cut-back by Anis Hadj Moussa, but Feyenoord loanee Shiloh 't Zand equalised from outside the penalty area with five minutes left.
After the equaliser, Van Bronckhorst intended to bring Steijn on as an attacking substitute. However, when staff approached the midfielder to tell him he would enter the pitch, Van Bronckhorst observed that Steijn "was still caught up in the emotion." The manager said the player appeared emotionally affected by his continued absence from the field. "I think he was perhaps still emotional about why he hadn't come on. So we didn't think he was ready to come on either," Van Bronckhorst told the press conference ahead of Feyenoord's next fixture.
Van Bronckhorst acknowledged that assessing a player's mental readiness in the moment is part of a coach's responsibility. He added that Steijn "has trained well again over the past few days and is ready to come on tomorrow," suggesting the midfielder will be available for selection at the next opportunity.
Feyenoord face Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday evening at 21:00 at De Kuip.
Source: goal.com
