MEMPHIS DEPAY will be fined by Lyon after failing to show up for the first day of pre-season training.
Eighteen months after his disastrous time at Manchester United came to an end, the Dutch winger caused controversy by extending his summer break beyond the strict five-week limit.
Depay was beginning to resurrect his career with Lyon until this slip
Lyon head coach Bruno Genesio announced the news at his first press conference ahead of the 2018/19 season, before confirming Depay would face a fine, the amount for which is unspecified.
Genesio said: “I’m happy to see (the players) again. One player out of 27 is missing. It’s Memphis Depay.
“He will be punished financially when he returns. He had five weeks of vacation like everyone else.”
Depay will gear up for his second full season in Ligue 1 after 19 goals in 36 league games in 2017/18, which ranked third in the division.
The Mega Agency
Depay spent his summer holidays on a luxury yacht in Portofino with Swansea City’s Leroy Fer
The Dutchman, 24, joined Lyon for £17million in January 2017, just a year and a half after United shelled out £25m to sign him from PSV.
Depay’s time in England produced just two Premier League goals in 33 appearances, frozen out almost entirely under Jose Mourinho in the Portuguese’s first season in charge at Old Trafford.
His return to form with Lyon has seen him linked with a move away this summer, with AC Milan said to be interested.
It remains unclear whether Depay, who has 38 caps for the Netherlands, is deliberately avoiding training as a stunt to force his way out of the club.
Be the first to comment