Former Netherlands striker Pierre van Hooijdonk believes Manchester United need to create the right atmosphere for Memphis Depay to be a success.
- By Michael Bell
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The 21-year-old winger completed his €30 million move from PSV to Manchester United earlier this month after finishing top scorer in the Eredivisie last season.
Speaking to the Sunday People, Pierre van Hooijdonk tipped Depay for success in England, but only if he is carefully managed by Manchester United.
Van Hooijdonk said, “I don’t know yet how Depay will fit in and in which position, but when you sign a forward player you have to be very careful.
“You have to create an environment the player has played in. A lot of coaches take a player out of that environment and put him in a different environment, and then it’s not going to happen.
“Memphis plays on the left. I don’t think he will play on the right. Maybe he could play in the two up front. He is capable of creating something and making things happen, and he can score goals. These qualities these days are very important. Many teams struggle to score goals.
“He’s not a central forward, he plays more from the left and comes inside quite a lot. He still needs to find the right balance.”
On comparisons to Ryan Giggs, he added, “Memphis is a completely different player. If you think that by signing a left-winger you get somebody who compares with Giggs then you have signed the wrong one.
“He plays on the left but loves to come inside. He will have fewer assists than Giggs but he will score more goals. He’s a great striker of the ball. He has that power to swerve one, but he is also able to take good free kicks with the inside of his boot and bend it over a wall or round it.”
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