Depay repaying Van Gaal's faith for Dutch at WC

Depay injured his hamstring on international duty in September and his recovery took longer than expected, but Vaal Gaal was willing to roll the dice on the fitness of the country's second leading goalscorer. "Memphis has been so important for this group, not only as footballer but also as a human" said Van Gaal, when announcing his squad last month.

"He is an extraordinary player and so I have set aside my principles because I consider him to be incredibly important to my team," Van Gaal explained once arriving in Qatar. "I explained this to the players, that I am doing all this for Memphis, and the players accepted this." Depay made his international breakthrough as a 20-year-old as the Dutch finished third under Van Gaal at the 2014 World Cup, but was part of a team that missed out on a place in Russia four years ago.