None of the players that have worn the famous number seven jersey including Memphis Depay at Old Trafford has been able to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo since the Portuguese dropped the shirt in 2009. The now Real Madrid star became the first player from the Premier League to win the World best player and the Ballond’Or. The likes of George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Ronaldo made the shirt synonymous with quality and success.
And the latest player to wear the shirt arrived at Man United in 2015 with fun fare and high expectations from the fans but failed to produce performances replica of Ronaldo. After winning a place in Louis Van Gaal Netherlands squad at the 2014 World Cup which was followed by an impressive campaign with PSV where he scored 28 goals, Memphis Depay arrived at Old Trafford in a £22.3 million fees high on hopes.
Having coached him at the national level, Van Gaal knew what he saw in him for bringing him to United and was beaming with confidence when he signed but whatever that reason, the Dutch attacker failed to produce performances expected of him. He was even likened to Ronaldo but never produced performances near that of the World player.
But Van Gaal later realized his compatriot is not what he had expected him to be following a series of poor performances. And after enjoying regular actions which included 19 starts in his first five months, Depay soon found himself relegated to the bench and would only start four more games till his switch to French cub Lyon, ending his 18 months of flop at Man United.
He made just one start under new boss Jose Mourinho, in the EFL match in September and lasted 55 minutes. Mourinho had promised to work with the 22-year-old but an exit from the club seems better. He may be a hit in France and like Paul Pogba may return to Man United in the future.
Despite his failure on the pitch he was opposite off the pitch. From his dress sense to flashy cars and the boxing ring he had shipped from his Eindhoven apartment to his new living quarters in the centre of Manchester.