Memphis Depay struggles at Man United down to Jose Mourinho, claims club legend

Memphis Depay wasn’t given a fair chance by Jose Mourinho during his time at Manchester United, according to club legend Gary Neville.

The Netherlands international had a brief spell at Old Trafford earlier in his career, but he failed to really live up to expectations after first catching the eye as a youngster at PSV.

United fans will surely regret that Depay didn’t stay at the club for longer, with the 27-year-old now flourishing after a superb spell at Lyon, which led him to a free transfer switch to Barcelona this summer.

Depay is far from the first player who struggled at Man Utd before shining elsewhere in the difficult post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, with the likes of Angel Di Maria, Romelu Lukaku and Daley Blind also among those to have looked a lot better since leaving the club.

Neville blames Mourinho for Depay’s struggles at United, and it’s fair to say the Portuguese tactician has a bit of a history of overlooking talented young players, having allowed the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah to leave Chelsea during his most recent stint at Stamford Bridge.

“He came to Manchester United when the club wasn’t in a stable position, once Van Gaal had left and when Jose came in, he didn’t want to work with him because of what he did on and off the pitch,” Neville is quoted by the Manchester Evening News.

“When he came to United, they did not have the time for him which is a shame but he has proved with maturity that he has turned into a top player.”