Allofs backs Dost to become key man for Netherlands

Bas Dost has been tipped to become a Netherlands regular by Wolfsburg sporting director Klaus Allofs.

The 26-year-old scored his first international goal 32 minutes into the Oranje’s 3-2 victory over Wales on Friday.

Dost – who has netted 22 goals in his 32 Bundesliga games since the start of last season – was winning his fourth cap, but the Wales game was the first time he had been given an opportunity to play from the start for his country.

Allofs has optimism that the Wolfsburg striker will be able to establish himself as a regular for Netherlands, even though he faces competition from Robin van Persie and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

“Yes of course [Dost can make the starting line-up],” said Allofs, a 1980 European Championship-winner with Germany.

“He is not just a bench warmer for the national team. Bas Dost had a very successful season last year and proved that he is capable of scoring a lot of goals. I personally think that he is not at his best yet and still needs to improve. 

“The names Van Persie and Huntelaar are players who already have great careers behind them. It is a tough task to earn selection over them but I was impressed with what I saw in the last match the Dutch national team played. 

“When he came on the pitch, you can see that he plays differently than these players and depending on who they face, his presence can be a very helpful solution for the team and I wish him well – I hope that he gets the chance to show his abilities.

“Strikers are a little bit different to the other players. When Bas does not score or when he starts from the bench, then his mood isn’t as good. Then it is not so easy to get along with him. 

“But normally, he is somebody who works for the team and is very ambitious and he fits perfectly into the group.”

Dost will have another chance to bolster his international credentials when Netherlands travel to play Germany on Tuesday.