Manchester United winger Memphis Depay has conceded that he didn’t have a great first season with the club but is determined to learn from the experience.
After arriving in a £25.5m deal from PSV to form part of Louis van Gaal’s ambitious new plans this past season, the United No.7 failed to live up to expectations as he struggled in his first year in England and was consigned to the bench for much of it.
Having been snubbed for the FA Cup final squad before Van Gaal was sacked, it was far from the ideal ending to his first campaign as a United player and the Dutch international has acknowledged that in an open and honest interview.
However, he is confident that he will be able to bounce back, but he will now have to do so for a new coach and there are no guarantees that he will be part of his immediate plans.
“It has not been a bad year and it has not been a good year, it has been right there in the middle. I have more expectations for myself and for the fans as well,” he said in a video posted on his personal Twitter account.
“It’s been new for me this season to play in the Premier League so the experience that I get this year is important.
“Last season I was playing and I was scoring every game and this season it’s 50/50, I played 50 per cent of the games. Some games I spent on the bench for 90 minutes as well, and that’s new and it’s hard, and it p***es you off to be honest sometimes.”
“But you need to keep going and keep believing in yourself. I am still young, 22. My motto is dream, believe, achieve. You have to believe in it, and I don’t want to give up on anything.”
Depay made 46 appearances for United, scoring seven goals and creating six. However, only two of those goals came in the Premier League, with the club finishing outside of the top four and therefore missing out on the Champions League next season.
Looking back on last season https://t.co/FI5XT0XFEx
— Memphis (@Memphis) May 26, 2016