"Don't ever disrespect my professionalism" - Barcelona attacker rubbishes claims that he delayed injury rehab to be fully fit for 2022 FIFA World Cup

Barcelona attacker Memphis Depay has refuted claims that he is delaying recovery from injury to stay fully fit for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The tournament in Qatar is on the horizon and is set to begin on November 20. Many notable stars like Timo Werner, N'Golo Kante, and Paul Pogba have suffered ill-fated injuries and are set to miss the World Cup.

Other players like Son Heung-Min, Ben Chilwell and Reece James are doubts for the tournament as well.

Depay, who suffered an injury while away on international duty in September, has been out for a prolonged period.

This has led to speculations that the Netherlands international is intentionally staying out of action to be fully fit for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

However, Depay has rubbished those claims in a recent statement, saying (via Fabrizio Romano):

“I’m hearing some disrespectful rumors about me purposely slowing down my injury. The media sharing things so easy without actually knowing the facts which as end result creates a negative narrative. Don’t ever disrespect my professionalism."

Depay has made only one appearance for Barcelona this season, scoring one goal. He is a crucial cog in the Netherlands' wheel under Ronald Koeman.

In 81 appearances for the Dutch national team, Memphis Depay has bagged 41 goals.

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Barcelona vice-president backed Xavi to being silverware

Barcelona manager Xavi

Barcelona have endured a difficult UEFA Champions League campaign as the Blaugrana could only finish third in their group. They subsequently dropped out of the competition and will now play in the play-offs for the Europa League.

However, the club's vice-president, Rafael Yuste, has backed the former player to be successful at the club. The board is aware that the side are undergoing a reconstruction phase but still have faith in Xavi.

While speaking to the media, Yuste recently said (via SPORT):

“It is a disappointment to be out of the Champions League because we always aspire to win everything, but we will continue fighting to give the fans the titles they deserve, The confidence in Xavi is absolute, 100%. Xavi is a home coach, who knows what to do, who is fighting with a team that is under construction."

He added:

"We have all our hopes pinned on Xavi. He is a coach that we want and he has a squad that is going to do it little by little and I am convinced that he is going to bring us the titles.”