Breaking Down What Memphis Depay Will Bring to Manchester United's Attack

The most significant thing that Memphis Depay's history tells us he will bring to Manchester United is goals.

Last season, he led the scoring charts as he helped fire PSV Eindhoven to the Eredivisie title. Whether he can immediately translate that form into Premier League football, of course, remains to be seen.

There are plenty of examples of players who have made the move from the Netherlands to England and were unable to live up to the big reputations with which they arrived. However, United have in their history one of the finest examples of a player who not only lived up to his reputation, but grew into one of the club's all-time greats.

Comparisons with Ruud van Nistelrooy, though, are only fitting to the situation, rather than to the style of player. Depay's style has more in common with the player whose emergence indirectly spelled the end of Van Nistelrooy's time at Old Trafford.

Comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo come with a built-in warning. Many have the potential to become as good as Ronaldo eventually did, but few ever do. In Depay's case, though, those comparisons are unavoidable.

Here is a player who, like Ronaldo, has bags of skill and a repertoire of tricks that would be the envy of most of his fellow pros. Here is a player who, like Ronaldo, possesses a ton of self-confidence and a desire to be the best.

There are the knuckleball-style free-kicks and the direct running at defenders. And now there is the fact that he has left the league of his home country where his talent was abundantly clear in order to join United.

Whether Depay ever reaches the same heights Ronaldo has ascended, he arrives at United probably further down the path to his potential than Ronaldo was. Ronaldo was just 18 when he signed, Depay is 21, and has played at a World Cup for his country. That also, of course, means he arrives to enter into the stewardship of a manager with whom he is already familiar.

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Like Ronaldo, Depay's self-confidence has grown from a mental strength forged in the fires of a difficult upbringing. As Priya Ramesh detailed for the Guardian, Depay's early years saw him fall foul of unsuitable father figures, as his father left his family, replaced in his mother's life with an abusive boyfriend who repeated the pattern.

The stabilising influence of his grandparents and the foster family with whom he stayed once he signed for Eindhoven are cited by Ramesh as helping Depay manage the transition from troubled childhood to successful adulthood. It is that self-confidence and apparent mental strength which should stand Depay in good stead as he seeks to make the transition to United.

He will face a new level of attention—as his new friend Luke Shaw can attest—but given the demeanour of his public persona, it does not appear that attention fazes him.

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The big step up for Depay will come from the quality of opponents he faces. The time and space afforded to him in the Dutch league will be lessened by the rigours of the Premier League. However, the aforementioned bag of tricks at his disposal will help him with that.

Pre-season has seen many examples of Depay interchanging passes with his teammates in tight spaces—particularly Juan Mata, a player whose technical ability is up to the task. Depay has also pulled off some very nice moments of close control.

While the free-style-influenced trickery is pleasing in its own right, it is also a potentially invaluable addition to United's fire power. Last season, United repeatedly struggled to break down teams who defended in depth and numbers against them. Depay's relentless improvisation will likely open up some avenues of attack which did not exist before his arrival.

Van Gaal's decision to deploy him as a No. 10 in pre-season is potentially telling. Both Depay's club managers and Van Gaal himself have generally used him as a wide-forward on the left of a 4-3-3. However, throughout pre-season Van Gaal played Depay at No. 9 in a 4-2-3-1 that may have been purpose-built to get the best out of the youngster.

After all, playing centrally ahead of a defensively solid pairing in the heart of midfield, Depay is free to attack without worrying too much about defensive duties. When United are in possession in advanced areas, he can link with Mata to try and find a breakthrough. When United counter-attack, he can link at speed with Shaw and Ashley Young on the left.

His most important partnership though, could be the one he strikes up with Wayne Rooney. The club's Instagram account may have posted a picture describing them as master and apprentice, but in truth, Rooney's limitations may be more problematic to the developing relationship than Depay's.

Rooney is, on his day, a magnificent footballer, capable of goals like the one he despatched against Aston Villa at Old Trafford last season. His work rate rarely dips and he is vocal with his teammates when his side is struggling. However, when he is not on form, his close control is erratic, with his first touch varying in quality from the sublime to the ridiculous.

When Depay is looking for a quick give-and-go with Rooney, he will need his senior colleague to be on the right wavelength and in good touch. Rooney can teach Depay plenty about the rigours of the English league, but Depay can teach Rooney a thing or two as well.

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From No. 10, Depay brings a significant goal threat, as his Eredivisie numbers suggest. He also brings a tendency to run with the ball into the heart of United's attack. He averaged 2.7 successful dribbles per game last season.

Again, that will potentially be useful against teams who try to sit deep against the Red Devils.

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He also brings significant chance-creation. While he only got five assists in last season's league campaign for PSV, he averaged two key passes per game, enough to put him second in PSV's key-pass pecking order, behind Jetro Willems.

That kind of creativity will be invaluable to Rooney as he attempts to lead the line for a United season for the first time in three years.

The final key thing Depay brings to the squad that was previously missing is his dead-ball ability. Not since Ronaldo have United had a genuine, regular goalscoring threat from direct free-kicks. Depay certainly provides that.

Chance creation, the ability to unlock stubborn defences, danger from direct free-kicks and goals. If Depay's season goes well, he will bring all of these things. The likely outcome is that it will work in some games better than it does in others, as he is still a young man and will have to adapt to his new surroundings.

However, if he can pull it all together on a regular basis, United will have signed a gem. He is an exciting player. He possesses the ability to get Old Trafford on its feet. He will likely improve as his United career develops, but he also has the talent to make an immediate impact.

There are many reasons to be excited about the season ahead, for United fans. Memphis Depay's arrival and potential impact are near the top of that list.

All advanced statistics per WhoScored.com.