Manchester United’s latest star, Dutch winger Memphis Depay has revealed why he prefers, ‘Memphis’ to be printed on the back of his shirt, rather than ‘Depay’, along with his ambitions in his first year at Old Trafford.
The Dutch winger joined The Red Devils earlier in the window from Dutch top-division side PSV, in a deal believed to be in the region of A?31 million, and recently opened his goal-scoring account in the 3-1 win over San Jose Earthquakes in their second pre-season match. In a recent interview with BBC, the new Manchester United No. 9 threw light on his relationship with manager Louis Van Gaal, his ambitions with Manchester United, and how he snubbed other teams to sign for the Old Trafford club among other things.
I don’t want to say he is a father figure. But he is a great manager- Depay on Van Gaal
The Eredivisie’s top scorer is confident of achieving success with the Red Devils, and hopes to become a Manchester United legend one day. Speaking to the BBC, the 21-year-old talked about how Van Gaal being at Manchester United, helped him choose the English giants over other clubs. Depay had previously played for Louis Van Gaal at last year’s World Cup in Brazil, where he scored two goals in four appearances.
He said: “I don’t want to say he is a father figure. But he is a great manager. He can make players better.
“My experience when I went to the World Cup, and even before, was that I felt I was a better player every time I trained with him. I felt stronger. I felt fit.
“I am very hungry and I want to do everything better so I become a better player.”
He further spoke about Manchester United, and what his ambitions are with his new team. Depay was also a transfer target for Paris Saint Germain, Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur, snubbing them to sign for the 20-time Champions.
“When United came, my decision was made. After they came, I spoke with the manager and it was very clear for me.
“I want to be a legend at some time. But the important thing to do is to focus on the next game… because I have to do my job in every game.”
“We have real qualities. We have to prove that in the games. We have to be creative. The defence has to be strong so we win games and we can play for trophies.”
The young star also spoke about his discussions with Manchester United ‘legend’ Ruud van Nistelrooy about a potential move. He said: . “We spoke about how big the club was, how the fans are. But we will speak in the future about other things. He is a legend at Manchester United.”
The former PSV star, also talked about why he prefers to have ‘Memphis’ printed on the back of his shirt rather than his surname, ‘Depay’, as when he was only four years old, his father had deserted him and his family. He also talked about the various tattoos that he has on his body, with one being in the honour of his grandfather, who passed away a day after the winger’s 15th birthday.
“Those things are a part of my life. It is not a part of football. It is a different thing. I have a life next to football.
“I have been through little situations. That makes me strong. I enjoy my tattoos, as you can see. I am the person I am. Everybody has to respect that.”
When quizzed about his goal-scoring targets for the season, the shy forward, said:
“I never do that. It is important to do well for the team. If I score goals or get assists, I will do that. I will put pressure on myself to play well in every game but I have to improve. The Premier League is different.”
Depay also said that he was optimistic about Manchester United chances of winning the Premier League this season, insisting:
“It is realistic. We are Manchester United.”
Manchester United: Title Contenders?
Manchester United finished last season at 4th position, behind Chelsea FC, Manchester City and Arsenal FC. However, the Old Trafford club have had a brilliant transfer window so far, having already signed four top players in Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin, Matteo Darmian and Memphis Depay.
The Old Trafford outfit are also in the look out to recruit a defender and a striker, with their summer spending still not done. Manager Louis Van Gaal has spent massive resources on the capture of his targets in his second year in-charge of the Red Devils, and if they fail to mount a serious title challenge this year, it would be seen nothing less than a failure. While, last year it was rebuilding after the catastrophic first season, following the 26-year long spell of Sir Alex Ferguson, this year is about reaching new heights, or at-least it should be.