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Former Barcelona and Manchester United forward Memphis Depay is set to miss the Netherlands' FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Finland. The 31-year-old has had his passport stolen and is stuck in Brazil.
In a statement released by the Dutch FA, they revealed that Depay was supposed to travel from Brazil on Sunday but had to stay behind after discovering that his passport had been stolen. They added that the striker will be joining the squad later this week, and the statement read (via Reuters):
“Memphis Depay will join the Dutch national team's training camp at a later date. The player has announced that his passport was stolen, preventing him from making his scheduled flight from Brazil on Sunday evening. He is doing everything he can to travel to the Netherlands as soon as possible. He is therefore expected to be able to join the squad shortly.”
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The Netherlands' manager, Ronald Koeman, has admitted that the delay in Depay joining the squad will see his plans change for the match against Malta. He revealed that the former Barcelona and Manchester United forward was set to start against Malta and said:
“The plan I had in mind for this week will change a bit. He won’t start, no. When he wanted to leave for the airport, about an hour beforehand, he packed his things and couldn’t find his passport. This is unfortunate – first and foremost for Memphis, but also for us. You naturally want to start preparing for an international break with a full squad.”
Depay scored a brace against Lithuania in the World Cup qualifier in September. The former Barcelona and Manchester United forward became the top scorer in the country's history, overtaking Robin van Persie's record of 50.
Barcelona loanee has no plans to return to Manchester United, says Fabrizio Romano
Fabrizio Romano reported on his YouTube channel last week that Marcus Rashford has no plans to play for Manchester United again. He added that the Englishman wants to stay at Barcelona after his season-long loan and said:
“For Marcus Rashford, there’s no obligation to buy, it’s a loan with a buy option for €30 million. This is the fee in case Barcelona decide to sign Rashford in the summer of 2026. Rashford isn’t even thinking about a United return from the loan or maybe making it again at Man United one day. The full focus is on Barcelona. The feeling internally at Barcelona is positive with the behaviour of Marcus Rashford, not just the performances. I think they’re is a very good chance to see Barcelona and Rashford continue in the future, but it will depend on several factors.”
Barcelona have a €30 million option to sign Marcus Rashford permanently from Manchester United next season.
