NEW YORK (AP) — On Friday, Jorrel Hato, a 17-year-old defender who has been one of Ajax’s few shining lights during the difficult season, was called up for the first time to the Netherlands team.

Hato was included to a 25-man roster by Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman for the team’s pivotal European Championship qualification matches against Gibraltar and Ireland. Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven and Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt are both out with injuries.

The Netherlands may qualify for Euro 2024 by defeating Ireland at home on November 18 and Gibraltar away three days later. Currently ranked second in Group B, the Netherlands is behind a France squad that has won six straight games.

With Hato having played every game thus far, Ajax is beginning to bounce back from its worst start to a season in Dutch league history.

At the age of sixteen, Hato made his Eredivisie debut in February; only Ryan Gravenberch and Clarence Seedorf had made their league debuts for Ajax earlier.

Hato would be several weeks older than De Ligt was in 2017, when the then-Ajax defender made his Oranje debut at the age of 17 years, 7 months. Hato might make his debut with the national team this month.