Memphis Depay in particular has been at the centre of a lot of speculation as to why he has suddenly found himself on the substitute's bench for Manchester United, having started the majority of games since his arrival from PSV Eindhoven in the summer.
Reports in Holland claimed that Depay was frustrating the powers that be at Old Trafford with inconsistent performances on the pitch, his work-rate in training, and even his fashion sense grabbing headlines in the media, but Louis Van Gaal has offered a different reason for Memphis' absence.
It appears that the young Dutchman has been taken out of the starting lineup, along with his international teammate Daley Blind who enjoyed a fantastic start to the season at centre back, because of the disappointment they suffered on international duty as the Netherlands failed to qualify for Euro 2016.
LvG on dropping Memphis and Blind: 'It's not fun, but when you return from the international break like that, it's going to be on your mind'
— Elko Born (@Elko_B) October 26, 2015
Van Gaal is claiming that an international hangover is why both Depay and Blind didn't feature against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League last week, or in the Manchester derby this weekend.
That would also suggest that either the reports of frustration with Depay were false, or that Van Gaal is attempting to cover it up by using international disappointment as the reason. Phil Jones has impressed on his return to the side and Anthony Martial has proven his ability to perform from the wing, so it could be difficult for both Depay and Blind to work their way back into the starting eleven in the coming weeks.
Manchester United host Middlesbrough in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday night, and it will be interesting to see if Van Gaal gives both players the opportunity to prove that their international disappointments are behind them.
