A look at Manchester United's summer transfer activity failures
Man United's transfer activity has seen a stagnant rise since the arrival of Louis Van Gaal and the trend continued this season. Whereas the Red Devils did manage to secure the services of some of the top players in the world they also lost a talented player in Angel Di Maria.
This summer, the Mancunians have been linked with a host of players, including the likes of Otamendi, Sergio Ramos, Thomas Muller, Gundogan and Harry Kane. The aforementioned players either sealed moves elsewhere or expressed desires to stay with their current clubs.
Manchester United's failed transfers XI
.jpg)
The most recent heart break for Man United fans came in the form of Spanish international Pedro who, after being hotly linked with a switch from the Camp Nou to Old Trafford, sealed a move to Chelsea.
No Pedro? No problem! Man United have Memphis Depay
For football fans who followed the 2014 World Cup, Memphis Depay is not an unknown quantity and has attracted attention for quite some time now. His performances during the tournament in Brazil announced him as one of the hottest properties in the world of football.
The youngster was used as an impact substitute for the Netherlands and his pace and trickery proved to be a nightmare for oppositions. He opened his account in the 3-2 win over Australia, making him the youngest ever Dutch player to score in a World Cup. He followed this with another goal against Chile and by then, it was obvious that Depay would soon be captivating the interest of top teams in Europe.
However, he did stay at PSV for one more season and was an imperial member of the PSV side which lifted the 2014/15 Eredivisie title. His efforts helped him record 28 goals and register eight assists -- a commendable achievement for a player who is just 21-years-old! His 22 goals in just 30 league appearances in the last campaign also made him the leading scorer in the division.
Manchester United vs Newcastle United comes at the perfect time for "the next Ronaldo"
The Premier League is not the easiest league to settle in, but Depay has started brightly. He is yet to hit the ground running in the league, but made quite an impression in his debut Champions League appearance for Manchester United. The explosive winger struck twice, thus scoring as many goals as all his other team mates combined, this season.
Memphis' Man United career so far in numbers
Although a player's shirt number has no bearing on his qualities, the number seven jersey holds quite an amount of significance at a club like Man United and brings along with it a lot of pressure. Since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo no heir at the club has been able to bring justice to the number seven jersey. Memphis Depay will be looking to change that.
Can he do the number 7 jersey justice?
The youngster missed out on a chance to score a hat-trick against Brugge but will be raring to do so in the subsequent encounter against Newcastle, just like Ronaldo did when he netted his first ever career hat-trick in a 6-0 humbling of the Magpies, seven years back. As surprising as it is, the Portuguese international managed just a single hat-trick during his six-year stint at Old Trafford, but what is more important is the fact that he supplemented it with very consistent performances and this is exactly what Man United fans are looking to find in Depay.
The Old Trafford faithful have definitely been let down by Pedro's shock switch to rivals Chelsea this week, but Memphis could offer consolation this Saturday. After an emphatic display in the UEFA Champions League play-offs in midweek, much will be expected from the 21-year-old to once again put forth a star performance for his club.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Follow the game on-the-go
Download our iOS and Android apps to follow soccer on-the-go. It comes packed with features - live scores, fixtures, results, tables, line-ups, stats, TV schedule and much more! Sorry, no live streaming within the app.
