But Edwards insists he remains on good terms with the 21-year-old, who he said was in the Boro dressing room celebrating with his teammates after the 1-0 win on Saturday.
Van den Berg’s transfer situation hasn’t changed in the last 24 hours, with FC Koln having not yet returned with an improved offer for the Dutchman after seeing their opening bid knocked back last week.
Besiktas have also been linked, with van den Berg has also been watched by Crystal Palace, but as things stand there are no offers on the table for the Netherlands Under-21 international.
Van den Berg has indicated a desire to leave if the right opportunity presents itself, and is understood to be keen on a move to the Bundesliga, but Boro will only sanction the defender’s exit if their valuation is matched, which hasn’t yet been the case.
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Van den Berg is unlikely to be involved in Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup first round game against Doncaster Rovers, but what happens beyond that game is unclear at this stage.
Edwards says he’ll be happy to welcome van den Berg back into the side if a move doesn’t materialise this summer, but FC Koln remain interested.
“The situation is ongoing so it’s difficult for me to talk about at the moment,” said Edwards, explaining the defender’s absence against Swansea.
“I didn’t feel it was right to have him involved today.
“If he’s still here, we have a great relationship Rav and I, so nothing is broken down or anything like that.
“We just had a conversation and I felt it was right for the group. He was fine.
“If he’s still here, he’ll be welcomed in. He’s fine with all the boys and he’s in there now high-fiving all the boys, so, no problem whatsoever. But, while the situation is ongoing, I thought that was the right call today.”
In van den Berg’s absence, Boro got off to a winning start thanks to Dael Fry’s second half header.
“I’m really pleased,” said Edwards.
“It was a tough game and we always knew it would be. The Championship is all about fine margins and a lot of games are won by one goal.
“It was great to keep a clean sheet, and great to score from a set play.
“I thought once we adjusted one or two things at half time, second half we were relatively comfortable – we didn’t concede a shot on target.
“We were relatively comfortable without creating as much as we would have liked. If I’m being totally honest, I would like us to improve certain bits. But that’s always going to be the case on day one. Overall, very pleased.”
