5 worst signings made by Louis van Gaal at Manchester United

#1 Memphis Depay

Memphis focused more on showcasing his skills rather than putting in good performances

Manchester United’s search for their next number 7 continued after Angel di Maria’s imminent departure. Memphis Depay was signed after he enjoyed a prolific season with PSV Eindhoven in which he finished as the top goal-scorer of the Dutch league with 22 goals from 30 matches.

Louis Van Gaal was impressed by the young talent. He signed the lad for a reported fee of €34 million in order to beef up his attacking personnel. Depay is essentially a left-winger and one expected him to settle down completely at Manchester United without much pressure. However, Depay squandered away his chances by being way too selfish on the field.

He often tried to take a shot at goal himself rather than passing the ball to his teammates who were in better positions in the penalty box. Depay’s lifestyle was quite extravagant and that made it even more difficult for him to settle at Manchester. His attitude was doubtful, and subsequently, Depay fell down the pecking order following the arrival of Anthony Martial and the emergence of Marcus Rashford. Under

In the 2015/16 season, he made 29 appearances in the Premier League. However, a majority (13 to be precise) of those appearances came off the bench. This shows that Depay had adjusted to the rigours of the league. He scored just twice and notched no assists, an embarrassing stat for a Manchester United forward. The Dutchman had to improve a lot in his decision making in the final third, but regular off-field distractions stunted his growth at the club.

Under Jose Mourinho, Depay played just 20 minutes in the Premier League and was not in the plans of the manager. With a more committed player like Rashford on the ranks, Mourinho was not keen to play Memphis on a regular basis. He scored thrice in 12 appearances in the European competitions (UCL and UEL combined). However, those goals came against Club Brugge.

.Mourinho finally allowed him to leave for Lyon in the winter of 2016/17. Depay's consistently below-par performances further highlight the extent to which his performances dropped after arriving at Manchester United.