Netherlands boss again speaks on Corinthians forward's fitness | OneFootball

On the afternoon of this Wednesday (10), in the United States, during preparations for the 2026 World Cup, Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman gave a press conference and once again spoke about the physical condition of Corinthians forward Memphis Depay. Even though he is not yet 100% fit, the coach emphasized the importance of the No. 10 for the team’s ambitions.

“We know Memphis has had some injuries. He hasn’t played in recent weeks, but he is back. Every day he gets closer to being 100% physically fit. We know his quality. He is the all-time top scorer in the history of the Dutch national team, and we need him. If we want to achieve something in this tournament, we need all of our players, but we certainly need him as well,” he began.

Photo: Reprodução/@onsoranje

It is worth remembering that, at the end of March, Memphis Depay suffered a grade 2 muscle injury in his right thigh and spent a little over two months without taking the field for Corinthians. The Dutchman only returned to action on May 24, coming off the bench when Alvinegro beat Atlético-MG 1-0 in the Brasileirão at Neo Química Arena. Then, on May 27, he played the first 45 minutes of the match against Platense-ARG in the Libertadores group stage in Itaquera.

Koeman also recalled when he visited Corinthians’ facilities at the beginning of 2025 to get a closer look at Memphis Depay’s day-to-day life at the club: “I went to Brazil once, to São Paulo, to talk with Memphis and see Corinthians’ facilities. I also wanted to follow the level of the competition. It is a strong league, with quality teams. But the injuries ended up delaying his ideal physical condition. Now we are working to get him ready and fully recovered. We will assess that day by day,” he said.

Before the start of the World Cup, the Netherlands played two friendlies. Memphis Depay featured in only one of them: in the 1-0 loss to Algeria on June 3, when he came on at halftime to replace midfielder Gravenberch. Last Monday (8), he remained on the bench in the Dutch team’s 2-1 come-from-behind win over Uzbekistan. This season, he has recorded just one goal and one assist in 13 matches for Timão.

It is worth noting that the Netherlands are in Group F of the 2026 World Cup alongside Japan, Sweden, and Tunisia. Their debut will take place next Sunday (14) against Japan, at 5 p.m. (Brasília time) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. After that, they will face Sweden on Saturday the 20th at 2 p.m. in Houston, and finally Tunisia on Thursday the 25th at 8 p.m.

At Corinthians since September 2024, Memphis Depay was key in the team’s surge in the 2024 Brasileirão (from the relegation zone to the Libertadores preliminary stage), and he was also decisive in winning the Campeonato Paulista (2025), Copa do Brasil (2025), and Supercopa do Brasil (2026), against Palmeiras, Vasco da Gama, and Flamengo, respectively. In addition, he has 20 goals and 15 assists in 79 matches for Timão. His contract expires on July 31, and his future at the club remains uncertain.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.