Memphis Depay has flattered to deceive since his £25m from PSV Eindhoven to Manchester United in the summer of 2015, and while he has shown flashes of his undoubted talent, most of which occurred in the first few weeks of the season, former Dutch international Ruud Gullit thinks a change of attitude is what he needs if he wants to succeed at the top.
A lot has been made about Memphis Depay's fondness for flashy cars and extravagant fashion choices, but Gullit feels that you can only justify that type of lifestyle if you are producing the goods week in, week out, on the pitch.
Writing for Dutch publication 'De Telegraaf' the former AC Milan superstar expressed his belief that Memphis needs to have a long hard look at himself after being labelled the worst Premier League buy of 2015, but insists that he is a fan of the youngster:
I am a fan, and I will keep my faith in him but he must do something about the fact that he has been labelled the worst buy in the Premier League in 2015.
He needs to deliver. He has a lot of qualities, but to fulfill his potential he has to stay low-key in his personal life. If you don’t perform, you must not turn up in a brand new Rolls Royce and a new Hummer at the training ground.
Memphis should concentrate fully on football. It would be a shame if someone like Memphis is going to be wasted because of all this side stuff.
He has to make sure they talk about the footballer Memphis. He has to accept criticism as a man and get on with his job as a footballer. Don’t be satisfied so easily — if you get three chances and you only score once, you have to accept that you really did not play well.
At this level, that is not good enough. If you get one chance, you must put pressure on yourself to convert that one chance. That is what the game is about at this level.
While it is unquestionably too early to write Memphis off, Manchester United fans will certainly have expected more from a player who arrived at Old Trafford with a reputation as one of the best young players in Europe after finishing as the Eredivise's top scorer in his final season with PSV, and impressing under Louis Van Gaal for Holland at the 2014 World Cup.
Having seen Anthony Martial provide a creative spark while playing out of position on the left wing, Memphis will struggle to regain the starting spot that he enjoyed back in August and September, so perhaps Gullit has a point when he suggested that full focus must be given to football, and football only.
via The Mirror.
