Comparisons with Dutch icon Arjen Robben were almost inevitable when the West Ham United winger emulated the Bayern Munich legend during the Netherlands’ topsy-turvy World Cup opener against Japan.
On what was only his third cap, Summerville curled home a fabulous finish at Dallas Stadium.
West Ham United’s number seven started in an unfamiliar right-wing berth to accommodate Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo on the opposite flank.
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In the position Arjen Robben made his own during 14 years in the Oranje XI, Crysencio Summerville scored in a manner eerily reminiscent of the 2010 World Cup finalist.
Valentijn Driessen is not getting carried away just yet, however.
West Ham United’s Crysencio Summerville yet to fully convince the Dutch press
The similarities between Summerville and Robben, the reporter argues on De Telegraaf’s Kick-Off podcast, are as fleeting as the Dutch lead in Texas; Japan cancelling out Virgil van Dijk’s opener in just four minutes before Daichi Kamada’s late header denied Summerville a World Cup winner.
“I thought he was decent, but it’s not a good [comparison]. Summerville doesn’t yet have in his entire body what Robben had in his left toe,” Driessen says in a manner so blunt it would make even Louis van Gaal blush.
“Robben was the best player in the world in 2014. Summerville will never be that.”
Maybe not. But only days after earning his first cap for the senior side, the former Leeds and Feyenoord winger is proving himself to be a useful addition not only to Ronald Koeman’s squad but his starting XI.
Driessen is impressed by the maturity displayed by the Rotterdam-born 24-year-old, though. Something that could not always be said of Summerville.
“The way he experiences football now, how he handles everything, and how self-assured he is, that was obviously not the case back then,” he adds. “If you speak to people at Feyenoord, they all say he was a super talent. But, at the same time, he was also unmanageable back then.
“I think that now, on the contrary, he is very manageable for the trainers.”
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Ronald Koeman told to drop Summerville against Sweden
There was certainly little to complain about regarding Summerville’s attitude and professionalism, even as West Ham slipped out of the Premier League last season.
According to the uber-reliable David Ornstein, Manchester United are keen on Summerville as they advance in talks with Mateus Fernandes. Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Chelsea, Napoli and Roma have also been linked.
Still, while some of Europe’s giants are clearly big fans, a well-taken finish in the Netherlands’ World Cup opener is not enough for some to suggest he has a spot in Koeman’s XI nailed down.
Kenneth Perez, the former Ajax and PSV Eindhoven midfielder, feels that Summerville may be the victim of a tactical reshuffle when the Netherlands face Sweden on Saturday.
“Yes, I would shake it up,” Perez tells NOS, demanding a four-man midfield ahead of a new-look wing-back system powered by the introduction of Chelsea leftie Jorrel Hato.
“Sweden plays with Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres. Two big strikers, so I have opted for three central defenders.
“[Summerville] is not the right player for a four-man midfield.”
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