Entering this January transfer window it was thought that the most likely move made by Manchester United would be shipping out Memphis Depay. He supposedly told Jose Mourinho that he is not happy with a place on the bench at Manchester United and says the frustration has left him feeling like a ‘loaded gun;’ according to an October Daily Mail story.
The sale is now complete with the Dutch youngster now off to Ligue 1 side Lyon.
Manager Jose Mourinho gave his weekly press conference previewing tomorrow’s clash at Stoke City. In the Friday presser (video at this link) he said that the idea of bringing back Memphis Depay one day is still plausible.
“Of course, because potentially he is a very good player,” Mourinho said.
“I think when Mr Van Gaal decided to buy him, he did well. He knew him very well from the national team. He was very young when in the [2014] World Cup. He had flashes of top quality.
“He was playing well in Holland — we know that the Dutch league is not the same but he was showing very good things. I think Mr Van Gaal and Manchester United they did well to buy him.
“He didn’t succeed in this 18 months, I would say, but he is very young so I think it is important for the club to keep control of this talent.
“And we all wish that he plays very, very well at Olympique Lyon, and why not to come back because everyone here likes him.”
In addition to not ruling out the return of Memphis Depay, Mourinho explained why the young flop is moving on. The Portugese said it was merely a numbers game.
“He’s a player from one position, the only position where we have overbooking. He’s a winger and wingers are what we have more of. So he was the position where it’s more difficult to have chances, where it’s more difficult to be the next choice because it is a position where we never have problems.”
“We have Lingard, Mata, we have Mkhitaryan, we have Martial, Ashley Young, we have Marcus Rashford, it’s a position where we have six possibilities. Even Rooney sometimes played from the left.”
Mourinho also dismissed the idea that Depay was being jettisoned for any concern over his work/life balance. There were reports that United didn’t care for how Depay handled his moving up in league, pay grade and fame. Many media members claimed Memphis Depay liked the external trappings of being a United player more than putting in the work. Depay being photographed in outlandish clothing and the media mocking his attire eventually led to the player cutting off access for the journalists.
Mourinho made it clear that there were no issues over professionalism with Depay.
“I think it’s difficult for me to answer (why it didn’t work out) because it also didn’t work also last season, but from my perspective, instead of trying to say why it didn’t work, I think it is easier for me and he deserves me to say that he was a fantastic professional.
“So if somebody thinks it didn’t work because he was not a great professional, it is totally wrong. One thing is some picture that somebody takes with him in an amazing car or dressing in a very specific way, but the image is totally wrong.
“The guy is a fantastic professional, he is a kid that respected everyone, a kid that tried to work hard to get more chances, a kid that was frustrated because he was not having that, but I only have good things to say about him. I think this is much more important.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, Bold and the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication, appears regularly as a guest on CGTN America, WGN CLTV News and KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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