Barcelona believe attacker is slowing down injury recovery for the World Cup

According to Diario AS, there is a feeling around the Barcelona camp that Memphis Depay is slowing down his recovery process in order to make himself available only for the Netherlands, for the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

Depay, who was highly linked with a move away from Camp Nou in the summer, has featured in only two league matches this season. His progress has been marred by a thigh injury that has kept him out on the sidelines since the end of September.

As things stand, there is no sign of Depay’s recovery even though the forward was expected to get back to the pitch much sooner. As such, Barcelona camp believes the player is intentionally delaying his recovery in order to make himself available for the World Cup.

They further believe that Depay is trying not to play for Barcelona in November, and potentially risk another injury that could rule him out of the World Cup.

Depay, after all, is one of the most prominent players in the Netherlands squad and his place in the team is virtually guaranteed despite his lack of form and game-time over the past year or so. This is unlike Andreas Christensen, who is recovering quickly and setting an example for other players in the team.

This is not the first time Depay has caused controversy at Barcelona either. Earlier in the summer, the forward rejected multiple offers from top clubs across Europe in order to continue his spell at Camp Nou despite knowing his fate in Xavi’s plan.

Depay’s stay at the club forced Barcelona to sacrifice a player like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the summer. However, with the January transfer window just around the corner, it would not come as a surprise to see the Dutchman being offloaded by Barcelona in the near future.