Memphis Depay made a solid if unspectacular debut last Saturday as Manchester United secured a narrow win on the opening day of the new Premier League season, and while the young Dutchman did show flashes of promise for a player who carries a lot of expectation at Old Trafford, at times he looked uncomfortable in the number ten role.
That's because he is.
Memphis played the majority of last season for PSV on the wing and occasionally up front, as well as impressing on the wing for Holland at the 2014 World Cup, but Louis Van Gaal had been using him behind the striker on Man United's preseason tour, and indeed from the start against Spurs on Saturday.
Some United fans voiced their displeasure with that decision to play Memphis in a role he's not familiar with, but manager Louis Van Gaal has explained his reasoning, and it's pretty straightforward; Ashley Young is too good.
It is a new position for him and he has to adapt to the new position because he is a goal-scoring type.
We have to wait and see if he can fulfill the demands of this position but that’s also because Ashley Young is playing very good on the left side. That is the circumstances now but it can change during the season. He can play in this position.
Ashley Young has indeed seen a turn around in form that no Manchester United fan saw coming, and while that continues he will be difficult for Van Gaal to drop.
Considering Van Gaal's record for changing the position of a young player for the benefit of their career, he should be allowed to experiment with a player of Memphis' talent, and United fans need look no further than their big name summer signing Bastian Schweinsteiger for evidence of that.
via The Mirror.
