The Netherlands star is ready for the World Cup

Memphis Depay, the star attacker of the Netherlands national team, announced that he is fit to participate in the World Cup, ending speculation about a possible absence from the finals in Qatar, but he is not confident of playing in the first match next Monday.

Depay trained with the team, who went through a training session yesterday, just hours after arriving in Qatar to participate in the tournament, after suffering from a hamstring injury for two months.

"The training went very well," he told reporters. "I could do everything I do in a game except play the full 90 minutes."

Depay will now wait to see if coach Louis van Gaal will risk starting him against Senegal in their opening Group A match.

Van Gaal pays great attention to the physical fitness of his players, but during the preparation for the World Cup he made it clear that he would exclude the duo Depay and his Barcelona colleague Frenkie de Jong from these limitations in selection.

The coach said last week that Depay could come on as a substitute against Senegal.

"It's not about whether I agree with the national coach," Depay said in response. "It's about his vision, about what's best for the team and for me. I want to be involved, not in one match, but in the whole tournament."

Depay injured his hamstring playing for the Netherlands against Poland in the UEFA Nations League last September and his recovery took longer than expected.

He added, "It was a very stressful period psychologically and mentally. I suffered during the past few weeks, but I did everything I could to get back in shape, but there is more than just training, especially mental strength."

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