Dutch coach talks again about Corinthians striker's physical condition
- By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial
On the afternoon of this Wednesday (10), in the United States, during the preparation for the 2026 World Cup, the coach of the Netherlands, Ronald Koeman, held a press conference and spoke again about the physical condition of striker Memphis Depay, from Corinthians. Even though he was not 100% fit, the commander reinforced the importance of number 10 for the team's aspirations.
"We know that Memphis has had some injuries. He hasn't played in the last few weeks, but he's back. Every day he's getting closer to being 100% physically. We know his quality. He's the greatest 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 our players, but we certainly also need him", he began.
Photo: Reproduction/@onsoranje
It is worth remembering that, in the final stretch of March, Memphis Depay suffered a grade 2 muscle injury in his right thigh and spent just over two months without taking the field for Corinthians. The Dutchman returned to the field only on May 24th, coming from the bench, when Alvinegro beat Atlético-MG, 1 x 0, in the Brasileirão, at the Neo Química Arena. On the 27th, he was on the field in the first 45 minutes of the match against Platense-ARG, in the Libertadores group stage, in Itaquera.
Koeman also recalled when he visited Corinthians' structures at the beginning of 2025 to learn about Memphis Depay's day-to-day life at the club: "I went to Brazil once, in São Paulo, to talk to Memphis and see Corinthians' facilities. I also wanted to follow the level of the competition. It's a strong championship, with quality teams. But injuries ended up delaying his ideal physical condition. Now we are working to get him ready and fully recovered. We will evaluate this day after day", he said.
Before the start of the World Cup, the Netherlands played two friendly matches. Memphis Depay was on the field in just one: in the 1 x 0 defeat against Algeria, on the 3rd, when he came on at halftime replacing midfielder Gravenberch. Last Monday (8), he did not leave the bench in the Dutch victory by the score of 2 x 1, against Uzbekistan. In the current season, he has just one goal and one assist in 13 games for Timão.
It is worth remembering that the Netherlands team is part of Group F of the 2026 World Cup alongside Japan, Sweden and Tunisia. The debut will take place next Sunday (14), against the Japanese, at 5pm (Brasília time) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Afterwards, they will face Sweden, on the 20th, Saturday, at 2pm, in Houston, and, finally, Tunisia, on the 25th, Thursday, at 8pm.
At Corinthians since September 2024, Memphis Depay was fundamental in the team's start in the 2024 Brasileirão (from Z4 to Pré-Libertadores), in addition to being 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, there are 20 goals and 15 assists in 79 games for Timão. His contract ends on July 31 and his future at the club is still uncertain.
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Source: Timao Central