The Dutch forward is looking to prove himself at the highest level following a forgettable stint at Manchester United between 2015 and 2017.
Depay has struggled at Man Utd
Memphis Depay is back in the big time at Barcelona, having left Lyon as a free agent this summer to head for Camp Nou. The Dutch forward is looking to prove himself at the highest level following a forgettable stint at Manchester United between 2015 and 2017. The Netherlands international was taken to Old Trafford by fellow countryman Louis van Gaal in a £25 million deal but struggled to unlock his full potential in England and eventually headed to France after being frozen out by Jose Mourinho. His snubbing by a Portuguese coach left many teammates confused, including Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with a confident character left with little choice but to move on after seeing promising progress stall.
Memphis lost the confidence of Van Gaal and his staff
Lifting the lid on his nightmare spell at United, Depay has told reporters: “I’ve thought a lot about why it went wrong. I had to adapt to the first season, and it didn’t go well compared to my time at PSV. “I lost a bit of confidence, and I lost the confidence of Van Gaal and his staff. It was hard for me. The following season I felt like I had more experience, but they changed the coach. Jose Mourinho came, and I fought to get into the team, but I think the idea of giving me a chance was never in his head. He never gave me an opportunity. Never. I went to his office, but it changed nothing. It was a challenging period, I felt that I was training well, and the players themselves did not understand it.”
“Pogba and Zlatan told me: ‘Why don’t you ever play?’ For me, that was the confirmation that I had no chance. And I realised that I didn’t want to be in a big club without playing. He added: “I realised at United that I had to start over and show everyone that I could be one of the best. I had a long contract of five years and a good salary, but I did not feel comfortable. So I left, and it was the best decision I could have made.”