ARLINGTON, Texas — The Netherlands received a significant boost as Ronald Koeman confirmed that both Memphis Depay and Bart Verbruggen are fit and ready to start in Sunday’s Group F opener against Japan.
Depay has played only three matches since suffering a right thigh injury on March 22 during a 1-1 draw for Corinthians against Flamengo.
The 32-year-old, who holds the record as his country’s all-time top scorer with 55 goals, missed Monday’s 2-1 friendly win over Uzbekistan, but Koeman was optimistic about his fitness while speaking in Dallas on Saturday.
“In the last couple of days, we informed the players about our starting lineup for tomorrow,” Koeman stated. “While I’d prefer not to disclose specifics at this point, I can confirm that Memphis is fit and ready to play. His fitness has improved significantly over the past ten days since our tournament preparations began. He is a vital player for us and plays a key role in our potential success in this World Cup.”
There were concerns regarding Verbruggen after he missed training on Wednesday due to a hip injury that led to his substitution in the second half against Uzbekistan.
However, Koeman reassured, “Verbruggen is fit to play. He trained with the goal yesterday and today.”
The Netherlands have yet to win the World Cup, having lost in the final three times, most recently in 2010, and they reached the semifinals of Euro 2024, only to fall to England 2-1, with a last-minute goal from Ollie Watkins.
– Group F at the 2026 World Cup: Teams, records, stats to know
– How Eredivisie top scorer Ueda now has to plot the Netherlands’ downfall
“Pressure is always a part of it,” Koeman commented. “Although the Netherlands is not a large country geographically, we consistently make our presence felt in major tournaments. We hold ourselves to high standards, aiming for deeper runs in competitions, which can be challenging given the strength of other nations. The initial results are telling. While the tournament has just begun, you can already sense the competition. We believe in our team’s strength and know we must continue to improve our chances, one match at a time.”