Memphis Depay has struggled to live up to the huge transfer fee Manchester United paid to get him, but at least one Premier League manager wishes he had the Dutch midfielder in his lineup.
According to the Metro, Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has gushed over the Dutch star and admitted trying to sign him back when Depay was a wonderkid with PSV Eindhoven.
“I think Depay, now at the moment, has a difficult time but that’s normal because he’s 21 and of course maybe the step to Manchester United in all respects is a difficult one and he needs more time,” Koeman said.
“If one day he will be on the market, I’m interested yes but I don’t think so because I believe in that player.
“It’s a difficult time but (he is) still young. He has to improve a lot and he will go through all these difficult moments.
“It is true, we were interest in Depay last year but we heard from his management that he wanted to stay one more year in Holland and then take the opportunity to play for a foreign club.”
Depay scored 39 goals in 90 appearances for the Eredivisie giants, including a league-leading 22 goals last season. The Metro reported that Depay was transferred to Man United for a fee of £25 million this past summer.
The former manager of the Dutch national team, Louis van Gaal promoted Depay to the the senior team from 2013 to 2014 and capped him several times before accepting the managerial job at Old Trafford.
Though Depay has just one goal in the Premier League this season, he recorded a first-half brace against Club Brugge in the Champions League playoff round to clinch a spot in the group stage.
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