"It has been tough. I was looking forward to playing in the last European Championships in my own country so much. I had to sit and watch when I was desperate to play. Then we should have been at the World Cup but blew it. Now I’m determined to make sure we make the most of this opportunity."
Holland’s first game is against Germany and Van Nistelrooy admitted: "We are really going to have to play at our best to get out of this group. The Germany game will be a big one coming first. We know they are going to make it tough for us, it is going to be a fight to the very last whistle. But the Czechs are going to be a major threat as well — as we know when they beat us to top spot in qualifying."