Memphis Depay will go down as one of those players who just couldn’t cut it at Manchester United.
The Dutchman was so highly thought of when he arrived from PSV Eindhoven in 2015 that it seems remarkable that he’s now been sold to Lyon just 18 months later.
Having scored just 2 goals in that time, the winger never made much of an impact and his showboating often proved more frustrating than it was entertaining.
Despite all this – and after affording the player just 79 minutes on the pitch this season – Jose Mourinho clearly harbours no ill feelings towards the youngster.
Instead of reflecting on Memphis’ shortcomings, Mourinho instead suggested that he had left because there were too many players at United all competing for the same position.
“He’s a winger and wingers are what we have more of,” he told a press conference.
“So he was the position where it’s more difficult to have chances, where it’s more difficult to be the next choice because it is a position where we never have problems.
“We have Lingard, Mata, we have Mkhitaryan, we have Martial, Ashley Young, we have Marcus Rashford, it’s a position where we have six possibilities. Even Rooney sometimes played from the left.”
As is now the norm, United included a buy-back option in his sale to the French club, which means they will have first refusal should he ever come back to the Premier League.
On that topic, Mourinho insisted he would be welcome back if he proves himself in Ligue 1.
“We all wish he plays very, very well at Olympique Lyonnaise and why not then come back because everyone here likes him,” he added.
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