Fair play to the young Dutchster.
Memphis Depay has already risked the ire of Louis van Gaal, months before he will play his first competitive game for Manchester United.
The attacking midfielder, signed by United from PSV Eindhoven, was politely asked, by van Gaal, if he would sit out the final league games of the season. Van Gaal wanted Depay to rest up ahead of his summer move and hoped the 21-year-old would pay heed as PSV were already Dutch Eredivisie champions.
The £25m signing was determined, however, to finish the season as the league’s leading scoring.
Depay tells De Telegraaf, ‘I wanted to play, but the club and Manchester United weren’t happy with that. Because of [potential] injuries.
‘I wanted to become top scorer and break the total points record with PSV. So I absolutely wanted to play.’
Depay finished the season as top scorer, on 22 goals, and will hope to transport that form to the Premier League.
He scored three further goals in cup competitions. Seven of his 25 strikes were free kicks. With a return of seven goals from 33 attempts, the Dutchman’s success rate of 21.21% is second across free takers across Europe’s top leagues.
Zlatko Junuzovic [Werder Bremen] is the only player with a better return – five goals from 22 attempts. Christian Eriksen [three from 21] and Andrea Pirlo [two from 11] also feature in the Europe-wide top 10.
