Manchester United's struggles are very well documented right now and the answer could be in a player who Jose Mourinho let go after struggling in the Premier League, in the shape of Memphis Depay.
There are quite a number of players from the Louis van Gaal era at Manchester United who came and went without making the kind of impact expected of them at Old Trafford. In fact the Dutchman's success rate was pretty poor.
Radamel Falcao, Angel di Maria, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay all promised a lot and delivered very little at Manchester United, and that's not including Marcos Rojo or Daley Blind.
Depay was potentially the most exciting of the lot. The 'new Cristiano Ronaldo,' as he was known around the time of his arrival, was signed amidst interest from rivals Liverpool as well as Real Madrid and PSG.
Advert
The Dutchman lasted just one full season at Old Trafford, Van Gaal's last, and four games of the first season of Jose Mourinho's tenure after scoring just seven goals in all competitions.
If United want the 24 year old back any time then they did include a buy back clause in the Dutchman's deal, and it's a good job too.
Depay's output is so much better than any other forward's at Old Trafford since leaving:
The former PSV player was playing at left-back for United, looking to have a good partnership with Luke Shaw at the beginning of his spell at Old Trafford, but is now playing as a striker for Lyon.
Advert
United's priorities in the transfer window would be at right wing and centre back but with Romelu Lukaku's continued troubles up front it would be a good option for Mourinho's side.
In 2017 Mourinho explained why Depay's move didn't work, saying, "He is a winger and wingers is what we have more. So it's the position where it's more difficult to have chances, where it's more difficult to be the next choice, because it's a position we never have problems.
"We have Lingard, we have Mata, we have Mkhitaryan, we have Ashley Young, we have Martial, we have Marcus Rashford, it's a position where we have six possibilities - even Rooney played a few times from the left."
Advert
Perhaps in his new position he's the hero United need, and one their fans might think they deserve.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Football News, Manchester United, Memphis Depay, Premier League, Transfer news
