Xavi's Netherlands Squad Shake-Up: Memphis Depay Dropped

Xavi’s Oranje starts with a shock: Memphis out, kids in, rules rewritten.

Memphis axed as Xavi draws a hard line

The first Netherlands squad of the Xavi era has arrived with a jolt. Memphis Depay, chasing the all‑time scoring record for his country, has been dropped. Not rotated. Dropped.

The forward, still waiting for his first goal in Brazil with Corinthians, has paid the price for patchy form and limited sharpness. Xavi has made it brutally clear: current club level and match fitness trump past glory. This is a clean cut from the Ronald Koeman years, a message that reputation alone no longer buys a seat on the plane.

Memphis is the headline omission, but he is not standing alone at the exit door. Marten de Roon and Wout Weghorst have also been left out as Xavi strips back the old spine and reshapes the group in his own image.

Injuries delay reunions, veterans fade

The new coach’s first camp will not feature an emotional reunion with Frenkie de Jong. The midfielder is still out with the knee injury he suffered at the World Cup, forcing Xavi to postpone their first collaboration in Oranje colours.

Mats Wieffer also misses out through injury, while Stefan de Vrij’s international career looks to be drifting towards its final chapter after his move to Greece. His absence underlines the quiet generational shift taking place at the back.

There is, though, a significant return. Jurrien Timber is back. The defender, who missed the World Cup and a long stretch of action with a serious knee injury, has fought his way back to fitness and straight into Xavi’s plans, a welcome injection of versatility and composure in defence.

New blood: Van Bommel’s son and Feyenoord’s climber

If the cuts show Xavi’s ruthlessness, the call‑ups reveal his vision.

Ruben van Bommel, son of former Netherlands international Mark van Bommel, has been rewarded for a blistering start to the season with PSV Eindhoven. Fresh from a cruciate ligament injury, he has already produced two goals and two assists in league play. It is a rapid rise, and Xavi has moved quickly to harness that momentum.

Gjivai Zechiel has forced the door open from another traditional powerhouse. Now a regular starter at Feyenoord, the technical midfielder has added goals to his game, scoring five times already this season. That eye for goal from midfield has turned him from prospect into genuine option.

This is not token youth promotion. It is a clear tilt towards players in rhythm, in form, and on the way up.

Veerman’s redemption arc

One of the most compelling subplots in this first list is the return of Joey Veerman.

The Borussia Dortmund midfielder was effectively frozen out under Koeman after a poor showing against Austria at Euro 2024, a performance that sparked a very public debate in the Dutch media about whether he fit the tactical demands of the national side. From key hope to lightning rod in a single night.

A move to the Bundesliga has changed the picture. His resurgence there has persuaded Xavi that the 27‑year‑old still has something to offer at the highest level. Veerman’s passing range and ability to unlock defences from deeper positions could be central to a system that leans heavily on technical quality in midfield.

From persona non grata to potential playmaker again: Xavi has handed him a second chance. What he does with it will be watched closely.

Van Dijk stays, defence reshaped

At the back, the most important decision has already been made in private. Virgil van Dijk is staying.

The captain had hinted after the World Cup exit to Morocco that he might consider walking away from international football. Those doubts ended after talks with Xavi in August. The Liverpool defender has committed to continue leading the side, preserving a crucial pillar of experience in a squad undergoing renovation.

Around him, the new coach is building with pace and Premier League steel. Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke both feature, underlining the growing influence of English‑based defenders in the Dutch pool.

Xavi has also shown he will not automatically close the door on players heading to the Middle East. Tijjani Reijnders and Crysencio Summerville keep their places despite recent moves to the Saudi Pro League, a sign that the coach will judge those decisions on performance, not postcode.

A new era, then, built on hard choices and clear principles. Memphis Depay watches from afar. The next generation steps in. How quickly they justify Xavi’s gamble will shape the story of this cycle.