Xavi's Oranje Revolution: Memphis Depay and Veterans Omitted

Xavi’s Oranje revolution has its first brutal casualty. Memphis Depay is out.

The new Netherlands head coach has wasted no time showing where the power now lies, cutting one of the country’s biggest modern stars from his first squad and making it clear: reputations won’t save anyone.

Memphis, still chasing the all‑time national scoring record, has been left at home for the upcoming international window. His name has long been inked onto Dutch team sheets; now it’s been rubbed out in one stroke. The call comes as the forward continues to search for his first goal in Brazil with Corinthians, a dry spell that has clearly counted against him.

Xavi has nailed his colours to the mast. Match fitness and club form over history and hype. This is a clean break from the Ronald Koeman era, and Memphis is the most high‑profile reminder that no one is untouchable in this new cycle.

Veterans pushed aside

Memphis is not alone. Marten de Roon and Wout Weghorst have also been left out, two more familiar faces swept away as Xavi redraws the hierarchy.

Injuries have made some decisions for him. Frenkie de Jong is still sidelined with the knee problem he picked up at the World Cup, delaying a much‑anticipated reunion between the midfielder and his former Barcelona coach. Mats Wieffer also misses out through injury, while Stefan de Vrij’s absence feels less temporary. After his move to Greece, the centre‑back’s international career looks to be quietly fading out.

There is, though, a significant boost at the back. Jurrien Timber returns after the serious knee injury that cost him the World Cup and a large chunk of his recent career. His comeback drops a fresh, dynamic option into a defensive unit that Xavi will want to rebuild around authority and composure.

Youth takes centre stage

Strip away the big omissions and the story of this first squad is simple: Xavi is turning to youth.

Ruben van Bommel, son of former Oranje enforcer Mark van Bommel, has forced his way into the picture on merit, not surname. The PSV Eindhoven winger has come roaring back from a cruciate ligament injury, already producing two goals and two assists in league play. It’s the kind of form that’s impossible to ignore, and Xavi hasn’t tried.

Gjivai Zechiel has taken a similar route in Rotterdam. Now a regular starter at Feyenoord, the technical midfielder has added a ruthless streak in front of goal, scoring five times already this season. That blend of control and penalty‑box instinct fits neatly with what Xavi demands from his midfield: brains, bravery, and an end product.

Veerman’s second life

Perhaps the most intriguing name on the list is Joey Veerman.

The Borussia Dortmund midfielder had been effectively frozen out under Koeman after a poor display against Austria at Euro 2024, a performance that sparked a very public debate in the Netherlands about whether he was tactically suited to top‑level international football. His stock plummeted. For a while, he looked done with Oranje.

A fresh start in the Bundesliga has changed the conversation. Veerman’s form in Germany has persuaded Xavi that the 27‑year‑old still has something vital to offer. His passing range and vision from deep areas could become a key weapon in a system that demands high technical quality in central midfield. If Xavi wants his team to dominate the ball and cut opponents open with precision, Veerman is exactly the kind of risk‑reward player worth rehabilitating.

Van Dijk stays at the helm

One major question has been answered before a ball is even kicked: Virgil van Dijk is staying.

The captain had openly suggested he might reconsider his international future after the painful World Cup exit to Morocco. Retirement whispers grew louder as the months passed. Those have now been silenced.

After private talks with Xavi in August, the Liverpool defender committed to continue leading the side. His presence keeps a towering figure at the heart of the dressing room and the back line, a reference point as the squad shifts around him.

Van Dijk will marshal a defence that includes Premier League standouts Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke, a trio that offers pace, physicality and top‑level experience. It’s a core that gives Xavi something solid to build on while he experiments further up the pitch.

Interestingly, the new coach has also taken a pragmatic view on players heading to the Middle East. Tijjani Reijnders and Crysencio Summerville both keep their places despite recent moves to the Saudi Pro League. Where some national setups have drawn a hard line on such transfers, Xavi has chosen flexibility, judging them on performance rather than postcode.

A new era for the Netherlands is underway, and the message from the first squad list is unmistakable: play well, stay fit, or step aside. Who adapts quickest to that reality will define how far this Oranje can go.