The Europa League play-off draw has thrown up a fascinating tie with Manchester United facing Barcelona. The two European giants will go head-to-head for the chance to play in the Europa League knockouts, and this throws into focus the fortunes of former United and now current Barcelona man Memphis Depay.
Signed by Louis Van Gaal for £25m, the Dutch forward said back in 2015 that it was a “dream come true; to play for the biggest club in the world,”, but that dream soon became something of a nightmare, spending just one full season in Manchester before departing for Lyon.
Despite being named by France Football as the ‘best young player in the world’ in 2015, Depay’s performances did not live up to expectations at United, with the weight of performing in that famous number 7 shirt seeming to weigh too heavily on the young man’s shoulders so early in his career.
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His time at the club can only be described as a failure, with just five goals and a solitary assist across his entire United career of 51 games. However, he would flourish away from Old Trafford, notching 76 goals and 51 assists across 177 games and five seasons in the south of France.
After re-establishing his talent in five years in Ligue 1, including four top-4 finishes and a famous Champions League run to the semi-finals in 2019/20, beating Juventus and Manchester City along the way, top clubs were again beginning to circle and the Dutchman made the decision to move to Barcelona.
This was the beginning of the club’s financial troubles, and their first season without Lionel Messi since 2004-05. The move initially seemed to be a success, with Depay bagging 8 goals in 15 La Liga starts to open the season, but injuries hampered the second half of his season, and the Dutchman would not start a league game in 2022 until April 18.
A strong finish to the season, including 5 starts in 7 games, with 2 goals in a series of solid performances seemed to suggest Depay would be a key part of Barcelona’s future, however this has not materialised. The signings of Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres and Raphinha already squeezed his minutes, whilst the resurgence of Ousmane Dembele and the return of promising youngster Ansu Fati have relegated him to fifth or sixth-choice in the three-man forward line.
He was a rotational option earlier in the season but has not featured since picking up a hamstring strain on international duty in September, leading some to speculate that he is just waiting for the World Cup and avoiding playing club football to ensure he will be fit to play.
There has been much speculation surrounding Depay’s future, including a serious suggestion of a return to Old Trafford. He is a free agent at the end of the season, though a January exit, and the necessary transfer fee, would surely be preferred by Barcelona with such pressing financial needs.
Having moved onto and secured the signing of Antony, any chance of a Depay return looks to have disappeared, although the upcoming expiry of his contract could make him available at a very affordable price, with United rumoured to have been considering an offer of around £8m to sign the Dutchman in the summer.
In all likelihood, with his injury concerns and sometimes questionable work rate, this was a bullet dodged for United rather than an opportunity missed, even if there is certainly a top-quality player in there somewhere.
Perhaps a good showing at the World Cup could convince the United hierarchy to make a move and have Memphis lining up on the other side of this tie in February. More likely though, he will remain the forgotten man at Barcelona until the end of the season and his mooted return to United will never come to fruition.
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