Memphis Depay will not feature in the Netherlands World Cup opener against Senegal, but coach Louis van Gaal remains optimistic for the tournament, believing this squad to be capable of improving on a third-placed finish at Brazil 2014.
Depay had been a doubt for Monday s match in Doha due to a hamstring injury that has limited him to only two LaLiga appearances at Barcelona this season.
Oranje coach Van Gaal, speaking to the media on Sunday, confirmed the forward would miss out against Senegal, suggesting his idea of the match centred around how the two teams would fare without their respective stars. Senegal s Sadio Mane is out of the entire tournament.
Depay was involved in more goals in European qualifying for Qatar 2022 than any other player, scoring 12 and …