Anthony, watch out – don’t become a Memphis Depay

Memphis Depay is somewhat of a legend.

He has always been associated with big clubs, and on a couple of occasions, he eventually moved on. Manchester United first, then Barcelona last, seized the opportunity to get the best of the mercurial talent.

But what if it’s not that good?

At United in particular, the conditions were ideal for him to succeed. An outstanding signing, he plays under a Dutch coach at Louis van Gaal who could see the potential in him and give him the podium.

However, after 18 months and two goals in the Premier League, he was transferred to Lyon for half the money United had paid him.

Then enjoy a renaissance somewhat. In the 2017-2018 season, his form was excellent, contributing 19 goals (17 goals without penalties) and 13 assists in an exciting aspect. He followed that up with 10 goals and 10 assists the following season.

But then he started to fall back, and sanctions began to bolster his numbers. Over the next three seasons, including last year’s Barcelona, ​​30% of his 41 goals were from a place that makes them, from a scouts’ perspective, pretty much meaningless.

Last year, he ranked the lowest 25% in Europe for goals without penalty, xG without penalties, and predicted assists. From a defensive and pressing point of view, well, he doesn’t do much of that either. For stresses in particular, it’s in the lowest 10%.

Maybe Depay just found his level. In the Eredivisie and Ligue 1, he was able to dictate actions on a more modest level where he was the center of attention. But anytime he comes forward, it just doesn’t work out. Even at international level, where he scored fairly decent but again fully backed by penalty shootouts.

So this is all a warning to Anthony. He’s also making a huge stride in quality in about the same age that Depay did. Depay’s record in the season prior to joining Manchester United was infinitely better than Anthony for Ajax last year; Depay scored 22 goals and provided five assists, compared to Anthony’s eight goals and four assists.

And it’s not like there’s no competition in the wide spaces, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Ilanga and Anthony Martial can all play either side, so he’ll be required to produce and perform right from the start – which has proven to be Depay’s ultimate downfall (that, and style). his life, which proved to be a real problem for Van Gaal).

He, too, will get a podium under the supervision of a Dutch coach to go and prove that he is of the highest caliber. And who knows, maybe he will, even for a crazy €100m fee – four times the cost of Depay seven years ago.

But Anthony must be aware of Depay’s precedent. He follows in the footsteps of a player who was meant to be my generation, however, when asked to replicate the Eredivisie model in the world’s most competitive league, he simply couldn’t come close to doing so.

Anthony, beware. The Dutch league is not the Premier League. And you can’t waste any time figuring it out.