A young Dutch forward who would later play for Manchester United made his debut on the largest platform in the world over ten years ago.

Memphis Depay, then twenty years old, was a star in Group B of the 2014 Brazilian World Cup. He scored goals and provided assists against Australia to help his country reverse a one-goal deficit.

The attacker didn’t look back after that, and in his final season with PSV Eindhoven, he finished with 28 goals and 8 assists in 40 games.

Louis-Van-Gaal, United Manchester
These exceptional stats helped United sign Depay for a reported £25 million in 2015, bringing him back to work with former Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal. According to Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, he had a “outrageous” talent at the time.

Depay’s history at Manchester United

With everyone waiting to see how Depay would light up the Premier League, he became one of the most talked-about prospects in world football upon his arrival at Man United.

Manchester United, Memphis
Even before he touched the ball, there was pressure on him to perform well at such a young age. On his second appearance at Old Trafford in the Champions League match against Club Brugge, Depay scored twice and helped the team to a 3-1 victory.

Following that performance, Arjen Robben, a legend of Bayern Munich and the Netherlands, stated:

“At Manchester United, he has the potential to be among the best players in the world.” Even though he plays for one of the biggest clubs in the world, he is already at such a high level and will only become better.

Depay, though, never lived up to the hype and found it difficult to adjust to life in the Premier League. In his rookie season, he scored just twice in 29 games, and a youthful Marcus Rashford eventually outperformed him to become the new poster child at the Theatre of Dreams.

In the end, the former PSV star appeared in 53 games for the Red Devils, managing a pitiful seven goals and six assists in all competitions.

Depay’s post-Man United career

When Depay moved permanently to France for £21 million at the beginning of 2017, Olympique Lyon gave him a way out of United.

Depay has an incredibly excellent record of 76 goals and 55 assists in 178 matches during this tenure, solidifying his status as one of Europe’s most dependable goal scorers and creators.

Aircraft-Tottenham-Arena
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The five-foot-ten attacker eventually transitioned from the left-wing position to a centre forward position as he grew older.

The Netherlands star opted to take on a new challenge in 2021 after his contract at Lyon finished, and he quickly moved to Barcelona as a result. Due to injuries, he missed thirty games during his tenure with the Catalan giants.

Data from Depay’s Career

Club

Lighters

Objectives

Helps

PSV

124

50

29

Man United

53

7.

Six

Lyon

178

76

55

Barcelona

42

14

2.

Real Madrid Atletico

29

11

2.

Statistics from Transfermarkt

The 30-year-old still produced quite well at Barcelona, as the table above shows. However, at this time last year, he transferred to Atletico Madrid, where he is still active after having a successful season with Diego Simeone’s team.

With seven goals in all competitions for the La Liga team in 2023–24, the mercurial talent is even surpassing his old teammate, Rashford, who has only scored five goals while playing for Erik ten Hag’s squad.

The best move Depay ever made in his career—which ended up being successful even if he never lived up to his early promise—was to move from Manchester to Lyon.

Nevertheless, you have to consider what he could have been at the Red Devils if he had stayed in 2017; his goals and assists may have been put to better use at United after his departure.