Strootman plays 70 minutes as captain on Netherlands return

The Roma midfielder was making his first appearance for the Dutch national side since 5 March 2014.

Strootman started the match in Dublin and played 70 minutes before being replaced by Marco van Ginkel.

The friendly encounter ended 1-1 as Shane Long's opener was cancelled out late on by Luuk de Jong.

The 26-year-old featured in Roma's last five games of the season after completing his recovery from a lengthy injury lay-off.

Speaking before yesterday's friendly, Netherlands boss Danny Blind spoke in glowing terms of Kevin and his return to form.

“Strootman has the personality and character needed to wear the captain's armband," Blind said. "He expects a lot of himself and his team-mates.

"It's amazing how quickly he's adjusted again after such a long time out – you could see that from his performances with Roma at the end of the season.”

Photo Credit: OnsOranje.nl