Memphis Fitness Concerns: “Starting to be a little problematic”
On November 11, national coach Louis van Gaal announced his final World Cup selection. Until then, it’s just a matter of guessing and hoping for a speedy recovery from the injuries.
“Memphis Depay is starting to get a bit problematic,” NOS reporter Jeroen Stekelenburg said in Studio Soccer.
Depay suffered a hamstring injury against Poland on 22 September and then left the Orange training camp with Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners. Where De Jong and Koopmeiners returned quickly, Depay is still in the basket. “That’s a long time,” says Stekelenburg.
Depay has not played a minute for FC Barcelona since his injury. Three weeks before Orange’s first World Cup game against Senegal on November 21, time is of the essence. “But of course he’ll come with us,” Rafael van der Vaart believes he knows.
Stekelenburg provides another update on Orange’s infirmary: “De Roon was out last week with a hamstring injury. It is not entirely clear how to proceed. De Ligt and Dumfries were also out on Saturday. Dumfries is suffering from his ankle. but it seems ok. Everyone else is reasonably fit.”
Weghorst or Luuk de Jong? Janssen or Brobby?
One of the debates in the composition of the World Cup squad is the location of the pinchhitter, the hammer that can break a match. PSV player Luuk de Jong, who has just returned from injury, and Besiktas’ Wout Weghorst appear to be in contention for that one spot.
“In terms of head power, De Jong is many times stronger than Weghorst,” says Pierre van Hooijdonk. Van der Vaart also supports De Jong’s World Cup selection, although he has his reservations: “When I think of Luuk de Jong, the first thing that comes to mind is that he can’t play football.”
Another discussion is the position of the real number nine, a cue point in the foreground. Brian Brobbey and Vincent Janssen can fill this role.
“I chose Janssen,” says Van Hooijdonk. “I spoke to Frank de Boer last month. He looked at Antwerp. Janssen was the best in that area. Brobbey will have to be patient for a while.”
Check out the regular sections at Studio Voetbal below: Finale with Frank Heinen via Cees de Wolf and Korte Corner by Volkskrant columnist Alex Mazereeuw. Check out Alex Pastoor’s opinion on Erik ten Hag below.
Source:NOS
I’m Maxine Reitz, a journalist and news writer at 24 Instant News. I specialize in health-related topics and have written hundreds of articles on the subject. My work has been featured in leading publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and Healthline. As an experienced professional in the industry, I have consistently demonstrated an ability to develop compelling stories that engage readers.
