Manchester United's Memphis Depay thanks Ryan Giggs for helping him through tough times

Memphis Depay scored Manchester United’s first goal against Watford in the 2-1 win at Vicarage Road

Manchester United winger Memphis Depay has thanked assistant manager Ryan Giggs on the club's official website for helping him regain his form after grabbing a goal with a superb finish in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Watford in EPL. The Dutchman had last scored a goal against Sunderland in September.

Depay arrived at Manchester United on account of his solid season with his former club PSV Eindhoven where he amassed 22 goals in 30 outings to help the club clinch the Eredivisie title. Memphis started strongly for the Red Devils, but a dip in form halted the 21-year-old’s participation in the first team. Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard’s impressive form added to his woes and ensured a spot on the bench for the star forward.

But an injury to Martial in the international friendlies and an illness to club captain Wayne Rooney saw Memphis start for the Red Devils against Watford for the first time since October 4, where he got substituted at half-time in a 3-0 loss to Arsenal. Playing in the no.9 position, Depay grabbed his chance and scored a sublime volleyed goal from a brilliant cross by Ander Herrera.

“I think every young player goes through things, but I keep training and enjoy the training sessions," Memphis said.

“The stuff I am learning has stuck with me and Ryan Giggs has given me good advice and I've been working on some things with him.

“You need that backing and you need to back yourself and train well, and of course, all the help is great to get through difficult times.”

He added, “I like to score goals. It was important for me to score a goal when I got a chance. I was happy. I like it when the fans are behind us and it was a nice moment [to celebrate with the fans].”

The win at the Vicarage Road saw Manchester United briefly hold on to top spot in the Premier League table, but they dropped to second place after Leicester City’s win over Newcastle United.

Manchester United's last minute win against Watford sent out a strong statement: Jesse Lingard

Lingard has now started the last three matches for United and could feature in the Champions League game against PSV Eindhoven at Old Trafford on Wednesday. And the in-form forward was vocal about his team’s performance, talking to ManUtd.com.

“It's a bit of a statement to the other teams, who will look at this and see we've won,” he said. “It puts a bit more pressure on them, but it's a good feeling to be back up there.

“I thought it was a scrappy match overall, the conditions didn't help, but we had to keep our concentration throughout and it's great to get the win.

“As long as we win as many games as we can over Christmas, I think we'll be fine.”