Jose Mourinho summer spending spree has now made the Manchester United’s squad the most expensive in the history of the sport. With a star-studded lineup providing plenty of cover for every position on the field, the manager has not been able to settle into a starting XI that can win him games consistently. This has seen a number of players in the squad get very little chance to prove themselves early this season. One such player who may have no real future at the club is Dutch international Memphis Depay. The 22-year old scored just 2 goals in 32 league appearances for the Red Devils in his debut season and has not been able to impress the new manager at the club. This has seen him linked with a move away from England in January. Though he has loads of potential, here are three reasons why his time at Old Trafford might be up already:
Depth in the squad:
As already mentioned, United have one of the strongest squads in Europe which will give Mourinho plenty of options for almost every position. Given that they are in Europe, Depay may get a chance to impress in the cup games but his start to the season has been laboured and it does not look like he is in the plans of the manager. He is far from the first choice for any of the three attacking positions and has not even found a place on the bench regularly. It seems like he has lost Mourinho’s trust and it might be best for Depay to start afresh away from Manchester.
Marcus Rashford:
The England international has done enough since scoring on his debut for the club to keep the Dutch international out of the squad for a long time. Rashford has been impressive early this season, slowly climbing up the pecking order under Mourinho and is now one of the first names on paper for the team. He is a striker by trait but has excelled in both wings in the final third. He is still learning the trade and with his potential, he will need all the game time in the world, which Mourinho is ready to give him. This leaves Depay with little chance to get back into the starting lineup and will always be dominated by the young Englishman even if he stays at the club after January.
Depay’s attributes:
Though he possesses some insane skills and some enviable technique, Depay is just not the package that can excel in the Premier League. He has loads of time in his career and may yet turn out to be a top class player in England but at the moment, the pace and physicality of the league is making him look like a dummy and even after a year, he still looks like he is settling into the league. Persistence from the manager may turn Depay into a consistent match winner but with the job at hand for Mourinho, it is unlikely that he will give the 22-year old chance after chance even if he fails to impress.