For all the hype surrounding the signing of Memphis Depay, it is fair to say the young attacker has not lived to expectations. Signed for 25 million pounds from PSV at the start of the season, it was Depay who was supposed to not only fill the shoes of Angel Di Maria but to do better than the Argentine.
Depay though started his career well at Manchester United but that has unravelled into a season which has only gone from bad to worse. He is not a regular starter for the side and barely gets chances to make cameo appearances for the side as well.
Louis van Gaal expected big things from his fellow Dutchman but nothing has gone according to the plan and Depay has looked a shadow of the player who was tearing sides apart in the Eredivisie. The 22-year-old attacker has only scored five goals this season, that is in 40 games in all competitions.
If the argument provided is that he is supposed to set up goals even that does not hold true as the attacker has no assists to his name this season, not one single assist, that in itself is a pretty poor stat to have considering the number of chances he has given at the start of the season and with Van Gaal’s future uncertain at the club, could it be time to cut the losses and sell Depay?
A season of development for the youngster
Depay is only 22 at the moment and he should be given time to develop and grow into the player he can be. We must understand that he played in a relatively easier league in all his developmental years and moving to England and playing in the Premier League is no easy feat.
Even the best players often go through horrible patches, just look at the entire Chelsea team this season but that does not make them bad players at all. Manchester United have invested in the future and a bad season should not lead them into making sift and crazy decisions.
Depay does have to pull up his socks as his performances have not lit up the pitch but he does need an arm around his shoulder, you have to manage the stars you have, not everyone reacts the same way to criticism or being dropped, even Louis van Gaal knows that.
Manchester United had a similar player in form the of Cristiano Ronaldo who was often bullied in his first season at United but look at what he became before moving to Real Madrid. Even David De Gea was rumoured to leave after doing poorly for Manchester United early in his career but he worked hard at it, bulked up and is now the best goalkeeper in the league, if not the world.
That is the answer for United and Depay, they both need to work at it. Depay has to work harder for the side and United have to give him a few more chances. He is a star in the making and should be given game time, which he should get next season after a proper preseason with the club.