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Netherlands and Manchester United left-back Tyrell Malacia has tipped Barcelona forward Memphis Depay to win the Golden Boot award at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar this month.
Depay, 28, has been a crucial starter for the Oranje since his debut in October 2013. Despite his slow start to the ongoing season for Barcelona, he could be the Louis van Gaal-coached side's offensive centre-piece at the upcoming tournament.
A versatile forward renowned for his shooting and directness, Depay was the joint top-scorer with England star Harry Kane in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification stage with 12 goals. Overall, the ex-Manchester United man has scored 42 goals in 81 games for Netherlands.
During a recent conversation with MUTV, Malacia predicted Depay to be the leading scorer in the quadrennial competition. Malacia, who is set to compete with Ajax defender Daley Blind for a left-back berth, shed light on Van Gaal's influence on the squad. He said:
"He (Van Gaal) knows a lot, and he helps us a lot. He talks with us and has a lot of experience for the younger players. We also have some guys in the team who have already played at the FIFA World Cup, so I think our team has a bit of everything."
Depay, who is currently recovering from a thigh injury, has scored just once in three appearances for Barcelona this season.
Netherlands is expected to be without the Blaugrana star for their FIFA World Cup opener against Senegal on Monday (November 21). Luuk de Jong, Steven Bergwijn, Cody Gakpo, Wout Weghorst, Vincent Janssen and Noa Lang are their other offensive options.
Ranked eighth in the world, the Oranje are also scheduled to take on hosts Qatar and Ecuador in Group A later this month.
Manchester United in race to re-sign Memphis Depay post-2022 FIFA World Cup
As per SPORT, Manchester United are prepared to battle Chelsea and Arsenal for Memphis Depay in January. Meanwhile, Barcelona are keen to offload the forward to help balance their books.
Depay, who is in the final year of his contract, has been on the transfer list since the summer despite being his team's La Liga top-scorer last campaign with 12 goals. Since the arrival of Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, Depay has fallen down the pecking order at the Camp Nou.
The Netherlands international has failed to reach a personal agreement with Juventus and has ruled out the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Sevilla as potential destinations, as per the aforementioned report.
Manchester United, meanwhile, are in desperate need of a striker. While Cristiano Ronaldo is set to be released before the end of the year, Anthony Martial has been in and out of action due to injury.
