The Dutch masters

BBC Sport Online's Simon Austin profiles Holland's key players ahead of the friendly against England.

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Edwin van der Sar (Goalkeeper)
Caps: 57
The imposing and agile keeper has been a mainstay in the Dutch side for six years.

At his best, he is a superb shot-stopper, a confident collector of crosses and a brilliant kicker.

Van der Saar made his debut for Ajax at the age of 18 before completing a £7m move to Juventus two seasons ago.

He had a disappointing season in Turin last year and moved to Fulham in the summer.

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Edgar Davids (Midfielder)
Caps: 40 Goals: 4
Nicknamed "pit bull" because of his tenacious and combative play in the centre of midfield.

The name pays Davids scant regard as he is also confident in possession and capable of creating and scoring goals.

Exiled from the national squad for two years in 1996 for criticising then-coach Guus Hiddink, but now a driving force for Holland.

Davids is eligible to play against England because the game is a friendly, but is banned from competitive games for testing positive for nandrolone.

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Frank de Boer (Defender)
Caps: 87 Goals: 10
Made his debut for the Dutch side in 1990 and is the most capped player in the current squad.

De Boer is an obdurate central defender who has the ability to construct moves from the back.

His aerial ability also makes him a threat from set-pieces.

His career has seemed inextricably linked to that of national boss Louis van Gaal, who managed him at Ajax and signed him for Barcelona.

But Van Gaal proved he does not show favouritism to his protege when he dropped him from the Dutch side earlier in the year.

Like Davids, De Boer was banned for a positive nandrolone test earlier in the year, but had his suspension reduced by two months on appeal.

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Ruud van Nistelrooy (Forward)
Caps: 12 Goals: 4
Potentially the complete centre-forward.

Strong on the ball, powerful in the air yet with a surprisingly deft touch. He is a natural goal-scorer.

Joined Manchester United from PSV Eindhoven for a then-British record £19m in April.

A proposed move to Old Trafford the previous season had been called off because of a knee injury that caused Van Nistelrooy to miss most of the season.

Van Nistelrooy has been behind the likes of Bergkamp and Kluivert in the international pecking order up to now, but looks set to cement a place in the first-team before too long.

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Patrick Kluivert (Forward)
Caps: 51 Goals: 30
Arguably Holland's first-choice striker.

Another player who came through the ranks at Ajax and was the spearhead of the side that won the Champions League.

Moved to AC Milan in 1997 but endured a torrid season and moved to Barcelona the following year to be reunited with Van Gaal.

Kluivert is a real handful for defenders - powerful, fast and a superb goalscorer.

His international strike-rate is one of the finest in the world.