Corinthians coaches reprimanded Memphis Depay after he was spotted using his mobile phone on the substitutes' bench during their match against Flamengo. The former Manchester United forward started the game but was substituted in the first half after appearing to be in discomfort.
Depay went down the tunnel to the changing room before returning to the dugout. In the closing moments of second-half stoppage time, he was seen looking at a phone. A member of staff approached and spoke to him, and Depay quickly put the device away.
The player later clarified on social media that he was using the phone to communicate with medical staff in the Netherlands about an injury. He said: 'Just to clarify, my moment with the phone was purely to communicate with the medical staff in the Netherlands at that moment. I came outside to show support to my team, whilst I could've stayed inside the dressing room with the injury.'
Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman revealed that Depay had undergone a scan and was awaiting results. Koeman said: 'He can still travel over, but it doesn't look good. We might bring him in later, perhaps for the second match, but if that's not feasible, then there's no need.' The Netherlands face Norway in a friendly on Friday, followed by Ecuador four days later.
Depay has been a regular for the national team since moving to Brazil 18 months ago. He scored eight goals in World Cup qualifying, second only to Erling Haaland. His club career has seen him play for Manchester United, Lyon, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid before joining Corinthians.
