It was all over at the Sixfields Stadium. Memphis Depay’s first start under new manager Jose Mourinho at lowly Northampton town on a windy September night and it certainly proved one point.
At a club like Manchester United, it is not possible to win over your manager against a League One opposition in a third round EFL Cup tie. But you can certainly lose all your manager’s faith. After failing to impress himself against an inferior opposition in the 55-minute stint, Depay was caught on the hook. His career at the 20-time English champions was all but over.
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The picture of the Dutchman slowly trudging off, head bowed, shoulders drooping and Mourinho disappointedly tapping on his head presented the definitive point of no return. In retrospect, some of his teammates had already held misgivings for almost a year by then.
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And the Portuguese mastermind definitely saw the same thing. After that night at Northampton, the Dutch international was afforded by Mourinho only another 46 minutes of game time in four matches.
And 18 months after inheriting the famous number 7 shirt at Old Trafford, Depay is all set to embark on a new French journey. On Friday, he completed his €25 million (with add-ons) transfer to Ligue 1 side, Olympique Lyon. And all that talk about him being the next Cristiano Ronaldo? Pssh. Disappearing like hot cakes.
Attitude problems
It was as early as in October 2015, when a selection of senior players had started to murmur about his attitude. The new signing arrived in training in a blaze of camouflage cars, tattoos and of course, ill-advised quotes.
He was not prepared to put in the hard yards, one even claimed that he was exasperated at the young Dutchman’s lack of effort. Those in the field can quickly identify which players can and can not make the cut as a top player. And in the case of Depay, they had decided in two months.
In December 2015, Louis Van Gaal’s assistant manager and club legend, Ryan Giggs had a talk with Depay. He was concerned about the youngster’s off-field decisions which were drawing unwanted attention. This, of course, was not uncommon with Giggs. Even Depay appreciated how he saw Giggs as an inspirational mentor.
“He talks a lot with me and gives me the advice to equip me,” Depay said. “He has experienced everything already so he helps with all kinds of things. He works a lot with me.”
Hence, Depay listened to his ‘mentor’ and was making all the right noises and the United bosses were hopeful that the message would sink in this time. Imagine all the glaring and the furrowed eyebrows when, in a couple of weeks, Depay showed up at Carrington in a brand new £240,000 Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe.
He was advised to keep a low profile, to shun the bling, somewhat – the message entered through one ear, exited through the other. And Depay’s days as a player at the biggest club in the world was numbered from there on.
Talented but lacked dedication
Probably, the Dutch winger would claim that he was never given enough opportunity to settle in and showcase his talent. But the truth is, he never did enough to help achieve his goal.
He may have had the swagger of Ronaldo, and the cocky strut as well. But that’s where the similarities ended. The Portuguese winger’s hard work and dedication is still talked about at Carrington; the hours he put in at training, the relentless working out at the gym.
On the other hand, Depay’s application left a lot to be desired. The young winger actually showed signs of equipping himself under Mourinho, who in turn spoke highly of his player in public not keeping with what he witnessed privately. Therein lies the irony.
And in February 2016, the swagger was, all of a sudden, shelved after he was held responsible for gifting Chelsea a way back into the game. He was on as a substitute and he literally handed Diego Costa an opportunity to equalise in the 91st minute. It was no surprise when he was relegated to the Under 21s the following week. It was a telling sign.
There is no doubt that he is incredibly talented and he will become a world-class winger and will dominate in one of Europe’s top leagues eventually. And there was also the ever-so-slight improvement in his dedication recently. But it all came too late. Depay will sadly go down as one of the most disappointing signings United have made in recent history.
Although United staff had largely talked about his attitude, there have been pundits who have criticised the handling of the youngster. Depay had a difficult childhood, like so many other footballers. His father Dennis left the family when he was only four years old. When at training in the small town of Moordrecht, he would often be found crying.
His step-father, who had 15 other children of his own, was no better. The wounds were so deep that Depay had a life coach at PSV Eindhoven’s academy. If Joost Leenders had not stopped the sessions with Depay just a year before his high-profile move to United, he might have advised the player not to ask for the number 7 shirt.
Depay has never used the harm he faced as a child as an excuse, but overlooking it is like not seeing the entire picture. A precocious young man, suddenly handed a salary that is five-times of what he used to earn, setting in at a foreign land – that is difficult for any person. And the pressure is only amplified for someone who has a history of psychological issues.
Lost van Gaal’s trust; Mourinho backs Depay’s talent at the start of the season
By November 2016, Depay had finally given in. He asked for a transfer and Mourinho would not stand in his way. Only in August, the manager had deployed flattery in an attempt to trigger a response.
“You can see him driving a nice car and you think this guy is not thinking about football. But that is not the case,” Mourinho said, “The kid thinks about football, the kid suffers because he is frustrated with what happened last season where he lost all his confidence.
“But he will be back. I see a good boy, a good kid, a good professional. I don’t care what people think.”
Depay first flourished at the big stage when Van Gaal had given him the chance to prove his mettle in national colours. He had a very impressive World Cup in Brazil. It is easy to assume that the pair had a special bond. And yet, the FA Cup winning United boss eventually grew tired of Depay.
After being handed only four starts in 20 league games, the writing was on the wall when Depay was left out of the FA Cup final. United, of course, went on to script a dramatic victory. While Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial all flourished under the Dutch manager, Depay never really got going.
There were a few glimpses here and there when he showed what he was capable of, like the match against Club Brugge. However, Depay would never really go on to win over his manager.
Perhaps, the Dutchman will prove his critics wrong. After all, he is only 22 and has his entire career ahead of him. Maybe, he will be scoring goals, notching up assists. But it will only take something out of the world to happen for him to be back playing for the club one day.
He can only lament now. He had his chance, and he blew it...
