Eighty-seven-times capped Dutchman is desperate to be on the plane to Rio next summer.
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Experienced Everton defender John Heitinga says that he will quit the Merseyside giants when the transfer window reopens once again for business at the turn of the year, if he has not regained his place in the first team by that point, in order to keep alive his dream of playing for his country in next summer’s World Cup finals in Brazil, according to reports in the Sunday Mirror.
The versatile Netherlands international has only been used as a bit-part player under new Toffees head coach Roberto Martinez at Goodison Park so far in this campaign, with the former Wigan Athletic manager instead preferring to utilise Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin as his first-choice centre backs.
And as a result, Heitinga has featured in just the two matches in total for Everton, and both of those came in the Capital One Cup, leading the 29-year-old to announce that he will depart Merseyside come the turn of the year unless he has found his way back into Martinez’s first-team plans that is.
And that is because Holland national team coach Louis van Gaal is known to only favour in his squad those Dutchman who are playing regular football for their respective clubs, and with this current campaign ending with the 2014 World Cup in South America, which the Oranje are well on course to take part in, Heitinga knows he must find himself a new employer soon, or risk missing out on the global show-piece event next summer.
“I took a risk by staying at Everton,” said Heitinga. “I had a few options to move in August, but they were not interesting enough.
“But maybe something will happen for me in January. Everton know I will be a free agent next summer.
“I want to get back into the Holland team. Everyone knows how Van Gaal picks his players – on the basis of how much playing time they get for their clubs.
“At the moment I’m not in contention to be selected.
“Roberto Martinez has said Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin are his first-choice central defenders. It is good to have clarity.
“But it’s going to be a big task for me to get back into the first team.”