Frank De Boer is relieved after Memphis Depay completed his transfer to Barcelona, and believes the Netherlands star will now hit top form at Euro 2020.
Barcelona have announced that Depay will move to Camp Nou on a free transfer when his contract at Lyon expires at the end of the month, with the 27-year-old having put pen to paper on a two-year deal with the Spanish giants.
Depay has not reached his best level in the Netherlands' first two games at the European Championships, but De Boer is hopeful that linking up with the Blaugrana will inspire him to step up for his country as they look ahead to the round of 16.
What's been said?
Asked how he felt after seeing Depay's switch to Camp Nou confirmed, De Boer told his press conference on Sunday: "It's a relief. Maybe that gives him an extra kick to perform even better. We need Memphis in top form.“
De Boer added on the forward's underwhelming start to the Euros: “Memphis is the first to criticise himself or the way he plays and says to himself: 'I can do better than what I've shown so far'.
"He is not a different person when being criticised. He is very self-confident and knows exactly what he wants. It is not so easy to upset him. Let's hope he gets to the level we hope he will get. He's very important for the team.“
Depay's international record
Depay has played in 66 games for the Netherlands since making his international debut as a teenager back in 2013, scoring 22 goals.
The outgoing Lyon star's latest effort came from the spot as De Boer's side beat Austria 2-0 in their second Group C fixture, but he also produced one of the misses of the tournament in that contest, blazing over from close range after being set up perfectly by Wout Weghorst.
What's next?
Depay could get the chance to add to his tally when the Netherlands take on North Macedonia at Johan Cruijff ArenA on Monday, having already secured their place as group winners.
De Boer can already start planning for the knockout stages after seeing his team pick up maximum points, but he is still ranking two nations ahead of his own.
“Italy has made the best impression so far." he said. "After the win, the Germans are among the favorites again. Germany played a perfect game yesterday [4-2 against Portugal], maybe the best game so far in the tournament.”