Barcelona: Memphis Depay’s redemption from a 18 month Old Trafford blotch

Dark times at Manchester United

A remarkable resume followed by the global appreciation made his shine undeniable for clubs like Manchester United, PSG, Liverpool, and Tottenham. In the end, amidst tough negotiations, Depay chose to play at the Old Trafford- disregarding the implications of this move. At the Theatre of Dreams began Memphis’ nightmare. The first significant concern was that he had to compete with Ángel Di María for earning his share of minutes. The second concern was that United had long fallen behind their glory days. It was now under a phase of transition.

Used mainly as a winger, Depay was having it had at the club. United manager Louis van Gaal was scrutinized heavily during this time, and he became cautious about his tactics. Depay was instructed to play in roles that often didn’t back his impacting areas. Playing a completely different game, he lost the traits that made him so deadly.

His two years of struggle were pathetic to watch. He was a flop at United. He played a total of 53 matches in all competitions, where he managed to score just 7 goals. Having lost the trust of both the managers he played under only meant it was time to move on. On 20 January 2017, Depay signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with French club Olympique Lyonnais which would tie him to the French club until the summer of 2021.