Xavi says Depay must recover and play more before Netherlands return

Netherlands coach Xavi Hernández says Memphis Depay is not ready to return to the national team, but the door remains open if the forward recovers fully and plays more regularly.

“I don’t want to talk too much about the players who aren’t here,” Xavi said at his first press conference ahead of the Netherlands’ final Nations League group matches, against Greece and Germany. “He first needs to recover properly and play more. The door is still open, of course, for players like him. He can make the difference for us. But this is not the moment to call him up.”

Donyell Malen, Brian Brobbey and Mexx Meerdink are the centre-forwards named for the two matches, in which the Netherlands are aiming to qualify for the quarter-finals. Xavi said Malen, who has recently been in strong form for Roma, should be trusted, but declined to say whether he would be the first-choice striker.

The coach said the decision would be made after assessing players in training. He praised Brobbey’s recent performance for Sunderland and said the forward had only just regained fitness. Xavi added that the squad would be cautious with players carrying minor knocks.