It was Manchester United former manager Louis van Gaal, who spent £25 m to bring the Dutch sensation Memphis Depay to the Theatre of Dreams. United manager Louis van Gaal said that he was “forced” into signing him early, due to interest from Paris Saint-Germain, and besides the French Champions, the fellow English side Liverpool were also reportedly chasing the midfielder, but thanks to the negotiation skills of van Gaal, the 22-year-old joined Manchester United.
The former PSV man came at the Theatre of Dreams with a lot of expectations and the reason being; his extraordinary form in the 2014-15 season, where he scored 28 goals in 40 appearances. Depay, on his own request, was given the iconic number 7 jersey, previously worn by club legends such as George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.
But unlike his previous form, the 22-year-old failed heavily in the English league. Maybe it was the pressure he was forced upon himself or wearing the number seven jersey for United is a lot of responsibility in itself and even the player like Di Maria, who was named as the man of the Match in the 2013-14 Champions League final, failed to prove his worth.
Depay played 29 games in the Premier League last season, and 13 off the bench. Well, this was not the worst part. The man who scored more than 25 goals with PSV was only able to net twice in the Premier League. After van Gaal departed from the club, it was expected that Depay would finally come to his life and might play a similar role as Hazard did for Mourinho at Chelsea, but even in the pre-season games, his form looked never better.
What next for Deapy Now? Can he replicate his previous form with Manchester United?
Well, if he is given the chance, it would most probably be as the left wingman. It is understood that in Mourinho’s 4-2-3-1 formation, the attacking wingers are given the role of exploiting the full backs with their speed and trickery, and after that, they sprint themselves in the middle to create the chances. Depay has the required speed and trickery, but his sprints are cut short only because of his silly moves and lack of composure. The 22-year-old is surely a great prospect, but he needs to work more in his physicality and his ability to read the game.
No offense, but he played in Eredivisie, which cannot be compared with the Premier League at any level. This means that he needs to improve his work rate. Premier League demands high pressing ability and also a horse-like stamina, and this is where he needs to work. The Dutch international has already lost his place to the 20-year-old Anthony Martial, who was one of the brightest stars in United’s glooming season last campaign.
It was clear that Martial was willing to throw everything for the team and this made him a clear favorite to start in the left wing ahead of Depay. Well, don’t get me wrong, but Depay can have a lesson from this. As mentioned earlier that Depay is expected to revive his career under Mourinho in the next season, but that won’t be happening if the player himself is not willing to do anything concrete. Depay is undoubtedly one of the best young players in the sport, hence letting him go will be nothing more than a stupidity, hence, make him work like a horse in the training and give him the regular chances next season, because let’s face it, if he won’t be falling short of options if he decides to leave the club.
