Xavi's Bold Decisions for Netherlands: Memphis Depay Omitted

The Xavi era with the Netherlands has begun with a jolt. Not with a speech, not with a slogan, but with a name missing from the list.

Memphis Depay is out.

A forward chasing his country’s all-time scoring record has been told he will not be needed for the upcoming international window. No injury caveat. No sentimental farewell. Just a clean, ruthless cut from a coach who has made it clear that reputation will not outweigh form or fitness.

Memphis is still searching for his first goal in Brazil with Corinthians, and that drought has cost him. Xavi has drawn a hard line: club sharpness first, history second. It’s a sharp break from the Ronald Koeman years and an early message to the dressing room – nobody is untouchable in this new cycle.

Veterans pushed aside, injuries bite

Memphis is the headline, but he is not alone.

Marten de Roon and Wout Weghorst have also been left out, two more familiar faces quietly moved to the margins as Xavi reshapes the squad. The spine of the old guard is thinning, and it’s happening fast.

Injuries have done their own damage. Frenkie de Jong is still out with the knee problem he picked up at the World Cup, delaying a reunion with his former Barcelona coach that many had been waiting for. Mats Wieffer also misses out through injury, removing another midfield option.

At the back, Stefan de Vrij’s absence feels more permanent. After his move to Greece, his international career looks to be fading away rather than ending with fanfare. The message is consistent: if your level or situation drops, so does your place.

There is good news, though. Jurrien Timber returns after a long layoff with a serious knee injury that kept him out of the World Cup. His comeback adds energy and versatility to a defence that Xavi will want to build around.

Youth takes centre stage

If the cuts are ruthless, the replacements are bold.

Ruben van Bommel, son of former Oranje midfielder Mark van Bommel, headlines the new blood. Fresh from a cruciate ligament injury, the PSV Eindhoven winger has exploded into the season with two goals and two assists in league play. Xavi has rewarded that form immediately. No slow integration, no cautious wait-and-see.

Gjivai Zechiel is another new face who has forced the door open. Now a regular starter at Feyenoord, the technical midfielder has already scored five times this season. His timing in the box and eye for goal give Xavi a different profile in the middle of the pitch – someone who can arrive late and punish.

This is not a gentle evolution. It’s a reset built around players who are delivering right now.

Veerman’s second chance

One of the most fascinating subplots in this first squad is the return of Joey Veerman.

Under Ronald Koeman, the Borussia Dortmund midfielder had drifted into exile. His poor display against Austria at Euro 2024 sparked a storm of criticism back home, with pundits openly questioning whether he was tactically suited to the national team at all. From that moment, he became a lightning rod and then, effectively, a non-option.

Xavi sees it differently.

A fresh start in the Bundesliga has revived Veerman’s reputation, and the new national coach has decided the 27-year-old still has something crucial to offer. His passing from deep, his ability to pick apart a block with one ball, fits neatly with what Xavi typically demands from his central midfielders: high technical quality, bravery on the ball, and the vision to control games.

For Veerman, this is more than a call-up. It’s a chance to rewrite his story in Oranje.

Van Dijk stays on – and sets the tone

At the back, the most important decision has already been made in private.

Virgil van Dijk, who had hinted he might walk away from international football after the painful World Cup exit to Morocco, has chosen to continue. After talks with Xavi in August, the Liverpool defender confirmed he will remain captain.

That single choice stabilises everything. Van Dijk is still the anchor of a defence that now includes Premier League standouts Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke. With Timber back in the mix, Xavi has the pieces to build a back line that can both defend high and play out with composure.

Flexibility on Saudi moves

One area where Xavi has already shown a different kind of pragmatism is with players who have headed to the Middle East.

Tijjani Reijnders and Crysencio Summerville, both now in the Saudi Pro League, keep their places. No blanket ban, no moral grandstanding. If they are fit, in form, and useful, they are in.

It underlines the core of Xavi’s early reign: performance and suitability, not politics or sentiment.

Memphis out. Youth in. A captain convinced to stay. A playmaker rescued from exile. The new Netherlands coach has wasted no time in reshaping the squad in his image.

If this is how he starts, what will he be prepared to do when the real pressure of qualification and tournaments hits?