Memphis Depay has been dropped from the Netherlands squad
Memphis Depay received some criticism from his manager Danny Blind after he was dropped from the Netherlands squad ahead for friendlies against Wales and Germany, according to Mirror. Netherlands who managed to win a bronze medal in the Brazil World Cup were not even able to qualify for the Euro 2016 to be held in France.
According to the Oranje boss, it was the 21-year old’s incapability to stick to a team structure that say him get omitted from the preliminary squad. He also believes that the former PSV man’s performances have been below par this season.
"In football, you must function in a team," Blind said. "He doesn't always do that."
The 54-year old manager was also unhappy with Depay’s decision to ignore the media following Netherlands’ last qualifying game. He said, "He should have talked about that with us."
The former Ajax coach also added: "I think Depay is a player for the future, but there are other issues to look at. Perhaps Louis van Gaal has also said something. Of the last five games, he has been in the team at United just once."
A great deal was expected from Depay following his £25 million transfer to Old Trafford from PSV Eindhoven this summer, but the winger has not been able to live up to his expectations as he has only scored one league goal in eight appearances.
Van Persie failed to make the team either
One of the other players to be left out of the Dutch squad was Fenerbahce’s Robin van Persie. The Dutchman, who had previously played for Manchester United and Arsenal, didn’t make the list as he was unable to score in his last three games for the club.
"It is not a good sign when a player of that calibre does not play all the matches," Blind said of Van Persie. "Now he starts, but he still only plays an hour and no more than that.
“When you're top footballer, you have to play multiple times 90 minutes. Otherwise, you're not very fit. And I think he did not play well."
Netherlands have a long way to go to rebuild the squad for the next major competition which will be the 2018 World Cup held in Russia. While the players like Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie might not make the team for the competition due to their age, Blind will have to be on the lookout for youngsters to replace these stars.