Should Manchester United activate the buy-back clause for Memphis Depay?

Memphis Depay has been hitting the headlines lately after putting up some phenomenal displays with Lyon and the Netherlands national team. This has excited many Manchester United fans as they reacted calling for the board to activate the buy-back clause for the young Dutchman. I discuss whether re-signing the forward is a good idea after all.

Manchester United shelled out around £30 million on Memphis after his exploits for PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie in the 2014-15 season. He managed 22 goals in 30 games and finished as the top scorer in the league as many pundits labelled him as the ‘next big thing in football.’ Former manager and Depay’s compatriot Louis Van Gaal gave him the iconic number 7 shirt, previously worn by the likes of Eric Cantona, George Best, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.

It all didn’t quite work out for the young forward at Man United as he failed to live up to the lofty expectations of fans, he managed a bizarre goal record of 2 goals in 33 Premier League games. Club legends like Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney blamed his flashy lifestyle for his poor form and Depay didn’t seem to bother either.

Wayne Rooney recently joked about Memphis’ lifestyle back in his days at United.

"“Memphis? He came on at Stoke away and messed up for their goal, so Louis Van Gaal made him play for the reserves the next day. I said, ‘Look it’s a bit difficult (for you). Just don’t come in with all your fancy stuff.’“And he turned up for the reserve game in his Rolls-Royce wearing a leather jacket and cowboy hat. And I just thought, ‘what’s the point?’“But Memphis is a lovely lad and it’s  good to see things going well for him now.” [Manchester Evening News]"

He was sold by Jose Mourinho for a loss of £10 million to French side Lyon during the Portuguese’s overhauling of the squad. And ever since he has gone from strength to strength. He has been world class in 2018 being involved in 41 goals in 52 games for club and country racking up 23 goals and 18 assists. Depay has formed a fearsome partnership with French winger Nabil Fekir.

The United board and fans would be kicking themselves for letting Depay go but interestingly Ed Woodward included a buy-back clause in the deal and it may not be a bad idea to bring him back to Old Trafford.

‘Memphis the striker’

Memphis originally began his career as a left winger and played in the same role till the start of the 2018-19 season. Depay was experimented as a striker following Mariano Diaz’s departure and has ever since thrived in the centre-forward role. He has been playing day in and day out as the lone striker for club and country this season and has seemed to have made the position his own.

Manchester United’s current striker Romelu Lukaku has been criticised by many for his poor hold up play which has resulted in the team losing possession on a number of occasions. The Belgian has also failed to perform in big games and has recently been benched by Jose Mourinho.

One of the few promising qualities of Memphis is the superb ball control he possesses. He’s also a pacy and skilful player having a bag of tricks to get past any defender. Lukaku or any forward barring Martial has failed to display such qualities this season and Depay might just be the right man to ignite what has been a stagnant forward line. The striker would not only find the back of the net on a regular basis but would also chip in with the assists and would form a devastating partnership with Anthony Martial just like he has done at Lyon with Fekir.

The stylish forward is also a set piece specialist and has got a dangerous free kick, an inch-perfect corner delivery and a cheeky Panenka penalty in his armour.

Still a true Red!

Memphis seems to still have a lot of love left for the Red Devils, recently posting a picture of himself wearing the iconic ‘Beckham 7’ jersey before the Manchester Derby. The youngster played an instrumental role in Lyon’s emphatic victory over Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League following which he took an interesting dig at the neighbours claiming ‘Manchester is still Red.’

The Holland international has displayed some passionate and world-class performances for Lyon and the Dutch side and it would be ideal to have such a player at United.

Fans have been left frustrated by quite a few dull displays by many players lacking either passion or skill, and Memphis might again be the perfect man to resolve this issue.

Activate the Buy Back?

For all the right reasons, Man United fans would love to bring Memphis Depay back to Old Trafford. However, Mourinho and the fans need to be warned that Memphis is afforded a lot of freedom playing for Lyon and the Netherlands. One of the reasons he thrives in the striker’s role is the freedom he said given by the coach. It is unlikely that Mourinho would give him the same freedom at United.

Also, Mourinho is not known to be the best manager to push any young footballer to the next level of his career and we wouldn’t want another player to be piled up the ‘not playing up to full potential’ category.

Memphis was labelled as a ‘big club player with a small attitude’ back in his days at United and an improvised and disciplined attitude is important if he wishes to play in the Premier League or any top league for that matter.

Re-signing the flashy winger turned classy striker comes with its own set of pros and cons. The cons obviously sound scary and we hope Mourinho provides Depay with the same freedom he’s having right now and doesn’t ‘destroy’ yet another young promising player’s career. The pros outweigh the cons and it might be too expensive a mistake to let another talent within reach, go down the drain. Thus, it’s time Jose Mourinho and Ed Woodward activate the buy-back clause in their attempt to re-establish the Red Devil as serious title contenders.