It's not been going too good for Depay. Since being a hit for Holland at the World Cup in Brazil and one of the stars of the Eredevisie for PSV....it's somehow all turned sour for him.
He's been pretty good in the Champions League for United, but not shown that same quality in the Premiership, and even though he should not be used as the scapegoat for the DISASTER that was Holland's European Qualifying campaign, he was particularly bad and pretty wasteful in such an important match for the Orange kids. Losing the ball, bad decision-making, and crosses that went closer to Neptune than to anyone in the Amsterdam Arena.
Despite all of that, I refuse to go with everyone and throw him under the double-decker bus. He is far from abrick, and when even seeing his bad performances, they are not on the levels of Rooney or Giroud when they are terrible. Depay is still trying to make things happen, and attempting to influence the game and doesn't simply disappear like some players who shall remain nameless,
It's just that the things he's trying don't come off, and the decisions he makes are the wrong ones. But I would rather give a guy who is at least attempting moves in a match a second and third chance rather than a clown who is literally just waddling around and waiting for the final whistle to blow.
Depay's problem can be worked out and alleviated. You see, you cannot turn a rubbish player into a decent one. That is scientifically impossible. But someone who does have great talent but is going through a bad patch, can be helped. Nobody will ever make me believe Depay is not talented, or that he's all hype. The dude knows how to play and when he's been good, he has been very good. Someone who scored the kinds of goals he did against FC Brugge for United or play as well as he did in a World Cup, cannot be useless. He just can't be.
He's a young player. People forget that. When you are of such an early age, having the right coach is extremely important. You may have all the talent, but you need an experienced head to tutor you in using your gifts in the right way. Nobody, no matter how talented, starts off as a world class player that makes all the right choices on the pitch. It's all about continued improvement, and smoothing out the rough edges.
I think Depay will work well under Van Gaal. There will be some bad points, but in the long run, I think Van Gaal is knowledgeable enough to know what buttons to hit to get the desired results out of him. You can see that Memphis has a strong personality, and is someone who does have a lot of self-belief that may border on arrogance. I love players like these, who are ready to put their necks on the line for their team during those pressurized moments. It's these people who I want on my team when the brights lights are on and I need a hero to step up, and not cower and merge with their colleagues.
All I say is don't just get on Memphis. The Dutch team are a complete joke from the very top to the very bottom, with everyone responsible for what went down in their qualification. Memphis should not be enemy numero uno for it. Give the kid a season for United, and allow Van Gaal to get the best out of him and refine his game, just like Fergie did with Cristiano. I still believe that there is a chance that in a few years, Memphis could be a truly exceptional player...or it could all end in tears. But we just can't already decide his fate right now.
You cannot run before you crawl.
HH
