John Herdman Welcomes Mees Hilgers: Indonesia is His Home

John Herdman, Indonesia’s national team coach, explained the reasoning behind bringing Mees Hilgers to the training camp ahead of the June 2026 FIFA Matchday. The English coach summoned Hilgers to Jakarta to assist in his recovery process. After being absent from the national team for a considerable time, Hilgers reappeared on the first day of the Garuda squad’s training camp held at the Madya Stadium of Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) in Jakarta on Monday, 1 June 2026. The camp is part of preparations for the FIFA Matchday fixtures against Oman (5 June) and Mozambique (9 June) at the main Gelora Bung Karno Stadium (SUGBK) in Jakarta. Hilgers last received a call-up to the national team during the final round of the third phase of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Zone qualifiers in June 2025, a year ago. The English coach warmly welcomed the player, viewing him as part of Indonesia’s future. “Yes, he is part of the squad for this training camp. So, Mees, in my view, is an important part of the group for the future,” Herdman said after leading the session. However, Hilgers’ current focus is not on playing but on recovering from an injury that caused him to miss the entire 2025-2026 season with FC Twente. As part of the national team, Herdman hopes that training with the Garuda squad will make him comfortable and provide motivation for a quicker recovery. “For us, Indonesia is his home now, a place he likes,” he added. “He asked if he could undergo some rehabilitation here with his football family, and we welcome him with open arms. He will be on the sidelines, and we will just monitor his recovery progress,” he explained. Meanwhile, Sumardji, Chairman of the National Team Board, confirmed that Mees Hilgers has joined the national team training camp for injury recovery.