Dutch say De Jong to play after 14-month layoff

Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman expects Frenkie de Jong to make his long-awaited international comeback in Amsterdam on Saturday when they host Hungary in the Nations League but said striker Memphis Depay was not fit enough to be picked in his squad.

De Jong last played for the Dutch 14 months ago in a European Championship qualifier against Ireland.

A persistent ankle injury last season meant he missed out on the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany. He returned to play with club side Barcelona on Oct. 1.

After last week’s international recall, there was concern when he was taken off injured at the weekend playing for Barcelona in their loss at Real Sociedad.

But Koeman expects De Jong to be available because his injury had nothing to do with his troublesome ankle.

“It was his shin, not his ankle. He will be there on Tuesday and we assume that he can play on Saturday,” he told a press conference on Monday.

“Frenkie de Jong is a certainty for selection if he is fit. But he has been out for a long time, he has not played a full match yet. Then you are not at your best yet, but he remains important for us. We have many possibilities in midfielder.

“[Tijjani] Reijnders and [Ryan] Gravenberch and [Teun] Koopmeiners also stand out. That is a luxurious problem that is nice for a coach. Working with great players.”

But Depay, who last played for his country at the Euros and recently joined Corinthians in Brazil, was not ready to make a return, Koeman said.

“Memphis is not good enough and fit enough in my opinion,” he added.

“If there is one player I have regular contact with, it is Memphis. We have talked about his situation. If he continues like this, he will come into the picture in March. He probably finds it a shame now that he is not in the squad and maybe he did not expect to be left out either. Memphis is getting fitter, that is clear. But I will decide the moment when he returns.”

Information from Reuters was used in this story.