Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has revealed the moment he first saw Memphis Depay in action and stated he knew the winger would reach the highest level.
- By Michael Bell
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Memphis has had a frustrating first season at Old Trafford, but the 22-year-old showcased his tremendous talent with a stunning performance against Midtjylland in midweek, which left his opponent Andre Romer close to tears.
Speaking at his press conference in the run up to Manchester United’s tie with Arsenal, Louis van Gaal revealed the moment he first laid eyes on Memphis, during his days as Netherlands boss.
He said, “The first time I saw Depay was in the first year of my time as the national coach,
“He came into the squad as a substitute for a player from PSV Eindhoven and he only played 10 minutes. But I said to my colleague, ‘He is a player, he can play’ – and then, the next year, he scored 20 goals at PSV and was the most important man for them.
“Depay had an action and I could see the purpose of his play.
“That gave me the conviction that he can play at the highest level.” Depay has made just 22 starts this season and scored five goals.”
Van Gaal then admitted that Memphis had to be more consistent, and challenged him to impress against Arsenal.
“I will not give up on Depay,” said Van Gaal. “I don’t give up on Adnan Januzaj either, because I Ârecognise their quality and their talents. But they have to cope with the Premier League and we help them every day to develop themselves so they can cope with the Premier League.
“There are moments when Memphis is good, but there are also moments when he is not so consistent.
“He has to take care of this consistency by making the right choices. Now, Memphis has to show it against Arsenal because Arsenal are another level.”