It is now as unofficially official as you can get. Manchester United has won the Memphis Depay Sweepstakes. The Dutch winger has come to terms and will move to Old Trafford this summer. PSV will receive somewhere in the realm of 22 million pounds for their young star. PSV has even confirmed the move on their official team twitter page, putting rest any worry that this was just a rumor.
Depay will have a cast of characters who he already knows when he arrives in Manchester. Louis van Gaal was his national team manager, putting him on the World Cup team this past summer. Robin van Persie and Daley Blind are a couple players who have already played and trained with Depay. It is not simply a “good ol’ boys” reunion, as Depay has some major skills, and even some time to develop.
Memphis Depay is only 21 years old, but already has a couple successful pro seasons under his belt. He is the leading scorer in the Eredivise this season, and has already participated in the Champions League and the Europa League. He captured the Eredivisie title with PSV this season, and the U-17 Euro Championship in 2011, so he knows how to win at a high level.
Manchester United won the battle for Depay’s services over a host of other giant European clubs. PSG was rumored to be interested in the winger, while Liverpool emerged as an early leader. When Manchester United had announced they had gotten Depay, multiple fans had taken to social media to rub it into the faces of their Liverpool rivals. It is one of the bigger competitions for a player between the two in a long time.
With Depay coming in as a forward, it is interesting to see what happens with the other attacking options at Manchester United. Chicharito is on loan at Real Madrid, but is scheduled to return to Old Trafford this summer. There are rumors of him wanting a full-time move to Spain, so this might be a way to help that move. Nani is another winger, and has been on loan at Sporting CP. He too is scheduled to return, but Louis van Gaal hasn’t mentioned a word about him. Robin van Persie is getting up there in age, and won’t be around forever. This might be a time to move the striker while he still has value.
Man United has the option to buy Radamel Falcao at the end of the season, which is completely up in the air. Injuries and poor form have hindered the Colombian all season, all with a massive salary. He simply hasn’t performed up to expectations, and with a young forward added to the equation, it will be hard to justify either keeping or buying Falcao. Needless to say, United has a stockpile of talent at forward, and will likely be looking to unload some salaries this offseason.
Some people might be wondering where Memphis will fit into Louis van Gaal’s system. He uses his right foot primarily, and has been used as an inverted winger most of the time. He loves to cut to his right and give his powerful right foot a chance to do some major damage. He also has a bit of a reputation when it comes to having the ball. He has a much higher rate of shooting the ball compared to assists, otherwise known as being selfish, or being a “ball hog” if you will. It has worked out so far, so there is hope that it will continue to work out at Manchester United.