Memphis Depay Is the Perfect Signing for Manchester United

When Nani floated out of Old Trafford on a cloud of melancholy and disappointment, most United fans accepted it was time to part company with the Portuguese winger.

Removing from the equation the two seasons where Nani was exceptional in a red shirt, he has had most Manchester United supporters perennially scratching their heads for many years.

The debate as to who United should purchase next rages on—even in the months outside of the transfer window. 

However, most agree Louis van Gaal needs a world-class centre-back and a talented central midfielder before the Red Devils can truly be considered as title challengers once again.

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But when you consider United's strengths and weaknesses, there is still a hole in the wider attacking positions, especially with Van Gaal's move to 4-1-4-1—which he favoured against West Brom and has since stuck with for four Premier League matches.

Of course, Angel Di Maria can play as a winger, but we have seen him lose a huge amount of form that he built up immediately after his arrival when playing just off the centre in a midfield trio. 

Adnan Januzaj has also failed to light up Old Trafford in the wider areas this season, and his future is surely as a No. 10.

So who do United have to fill this dual attacking role, with both Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia hardly getting blood pumping during their recent years?

According to Anthony Chapman of the Express (via Helden), LvG will move for yet another of his Netherlands World Cup squad players from last summer and attempt to sign exciting forward Memphis Depay.

Chapman writes that PSV Eindhoven manager Phillip Cocu has confirmed to Helden they will sell the player if their valuation of him is met—thought to be £18 million:

"

Of course Memphis will be sold, you can't stop that but it's okay. It's great you can build up a player like him, who breaks through, succeeds at PSV then leaves the club when he's ready for a bigger step. That's great.

I really thought it would be the best for him if he stayed here with us. It's important for him to play around fifty matches in a season before he makes the next step. Nothing else makes you a better player than a lot of games. He can become way better, he's so explosive.

"

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And Depay has been in electric form since his return from international duty at the World Cup in South America.

The attacker has nine goals and two assists from his 10 Eredivisie and Europa League matches this season, per WhoScored.com, proving him to be one of the continent's hottest young talents.

There clearly is so much more to come from the 20-year-old.

But do United need another attacker when there are clearly other areas that need addressing? Well, the answer is yes.

United lack balance, and that is an issue that goes from the back to the front. Van Gaal is still trying to find his way tactically in the Premier League, and as glittering as names such as Di Maria and Radamel Falcao are, the current playing staff needs to be geared towards the manager's mindset.

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If we can assume that Young is not good enough, Valencia will play more at full-back and ADM will be given greater space in midfield, United very much need a wide attacker who can play as a winger and be comfortable in a 4-3-3—Van Gaal's favourite formation.

Depay is still young, but he has shown that he has plenty of potential, and importantly, LvG greatly knows his gifts and limitations with the first-hand work he has done with him.

There is an issue in the forward line as to how the manager uses Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata, but this should not detract from United's need in other attacking positions.

Depay has the ability to run at players ruthlessly and effectively, and United have lacked this element for a few seasons: Pace is very much king in the Premier League. The player's quality in this specific skill set was highlighted by WhoScored in April:

Van Gaal needs a winger who will not only provide service and assists from wide, but a player who can cut across the penalty area and cause havoc, with a goalscoring threat to his game.

Depay has this in abundance. His heat map in PSV's recent 6-1 thrashing of NAC Breda displays how the player evenly features in a variation of dangerous positions despite starting the match on the left, per Squawka:

Squawka.com

Further statistical analysis of Depay in the last year shows how well the player has performed his function in the PSV team.

Ted Knutson of Statsbomb.com reviewed the winger in the summer and concluded that Depay "is a rare talent."

Knutson highlighted the Dutchman's "great athleticism" and ranked him as the second-best player of his age group in Europe, just behind Alvaro Morata:

StatsBomb.com

United's stellar attack is largely made up of players in their peak, and a talent such as Depay could join Januzaj as the future of the club but active—here in the present. Couple this with United's genuine need out on both wings—and at £18 million, Depay looks tremendous value.

Van Gaal certainly needs to find an alpha male centre-back in January if he can, and this essential need must not be ignored. But if United do not grab Depay now, he will be one of those burgeoning individuals who got away—because he will be at another top club in Europe.

LvG must have a holistic approach to his first-team issues, and with the likes of Paddy McNair, Tyler Blackett, James Wilson and Januzaj coming through, he must supplement them with youth from beyond the club—as the signing of Luke Shaw showed.

Depay will have time to settle at United if he arrives in January, and with a mentor who knows him well he will be able to build his performance value through the rest of 2015.