Out of all of Manchester United’s summer signings so far, it is arguably Memphis Depay who the most is expected of after the young Dutch talent was billed as the ‘new Cristiano Ronaldo’ not so long ago.
In truth, if the former PSV Eindhoven winger enjoys even half the success Ronaldo did at Old Trafford, Red Devils fans will be in for a treat.
Arriving in the Premier League for a whopping £31 million this summer, there will be a certain level of expectation in regards to Depay’s performances but considering his self assured attitude, the Dutchman doesn’t lack in confidence and is far more likely to succeed at Old Trafford than failing.
One more facet to his arrival in England is the fact United fans have just bid goodbye to Angel Di Maria who was whether you like it or not, a flop in the Premier League.
With the expensive Argentine becoming a substitute in the latter part of 2014/15, Depay and United fans will hope he doesn’t suffer the same fate.
With the Dutchman having impressed on pre-season duty, expect him to be immediately thrust into the action against Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow lunchtime.
With that in mind, we’ve devised five reasons why Depay will tear his London opposition apart tomorrow in the Premier League opener.
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Click on the image below to reveal the 5 reasons why Manchester United’s Memphis Depay will tear apart Tottenham.
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Because at least one of the new boys turns it on during gameweek one
When you look back over Premier League history, the likes of Fabrizio Ravanelli, Jurgen Klinsmann and Sergio Aguero have enjoyed fantastic goalscoring debuts.
More recently, we’ve seen the likes of Michu bag an opening day brace with Swansea City and Memphis Depay will be looking to follow suit.
Such is the nature of fandom and the opening weekend, some new signings will impress right away – they always do – while for others, they struggle causing fickle fans to question their signing right away.
Depay will hope he’s in the former category come 3pm tomorrow afternoon.
Because he could be facing Danny Rose on the right side
With Angel Di Maria now departed and much fancied replacement Pedro yet to arrive at Old Trafford, we reckon Louis van Gaal will go with Ashley Young at left wing in a 4-3-3 formation.
Left wing is of course Depay’s favourite position but with Danny Rose expected to start for Tottenham at left back, perhaps van Gaal will earmark Rose as a potential weakness to be exploited in Spurs’ starting eleven.
Being right footed, Depay is equally adept on the right flank as well as the left and while van Gaal may surprise us altogether, the Dutchman up against Rose is a battle we expect the former PSV man to come out victorious on.
His versatility is key
As alluded to on our previous slide, Depay is equally adept on both the left and right wing as well as being deployed as a false nine.
If Depay is struggling out on the right flank up against Danny Rose, he can always switch sides to the left under a change of tactics from van Gaal.
An extremely pacey customer, Depay is able to wheel away from opponents with ease and if he is constantly switching positions down the flanks, the Tottenham defenders could be feeling all dazed come 3pm tomorrow.
He’ll want to endear himself to the Old Trafford crowd right away
Despite Angel Di Maria eventually being considered a flop by the Old Trafford faithful, it’s worth noting that he actually started off rather well with that sumptuous goal away at Leicester City proving the highlight.
When players transfer to a new club, they’re naturally that much more keen to impress right away and with Depay being the self assured character that he is, he’ll have a burning desire to endear himself to the United faithful from the off.
An attacking player of course, Depay will have his eyes on bagging an early goal to consolidate his place in the team and if Spurs play anything like they did at Old Trafford last term, the United forwards could be in for a hatful of goals.
He’s shown promise in pre-season
Having worn the number 9 shirt in pre-season and having scored against San Jose Earthquakes, Memphis Depay has enjoyed a solid start to his professional United career.
Expected to take the number 7 shirt that has been vacated by Angel Di Maria, this will also bring a certain level of pressure to his shoulders given the fact the likes of David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo have worn the number with such distinction previously.
A hugely promising talent who has already received experience of playing at his first World Cup, Depay is a player destined for the top and it’d be a surprise if he were to flop in surroundings such as at Old Trafford.