Memphis Depay Is Overworked at Manchester United, Says Raymond Verheijen

Former Netherlands fitness coach Raymond Verheijen has defended Memphis Depay's indifferent form at Manchester United, claiming the player is overworked.

Verheijen believes Depay and too many young players aren't slowly integrated into the pace of the Premier League the way they should be, according to Squawka's Oliver Young-Myles:

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What should have been done with Memphis Depay and all other young players all around the world is to reduce the volume but in reality, these youngsters are just thrown in the deep and they will gradually become exhausted, their performance will drop and eventually they will get injured.

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Verheijen used a lengthy analogy about a treadmill to help describe how United have mishandled the player. Specifically, the Dutch fitness guru and one-time Wales assistant manager believes Depay hasn't been given a fair chance to adjust to the increased speed and intensity of play in England's top flight:

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He goes from PSV Eindhoven to Manchester United, so that means that the speed goes up. The speed of play and in training in the Dutch Eredivisie is lower than at Manchester United, in training and in the games in the Premier League. For Memphis Depay, the treadmill goes faster.

That means that temporarily you have to reduce the volume for him so he has to train less and play less game minutes for his body to get used to the higher tempo and once he has caught up with the speed of actions then gradually, over time, you can increase the number of training sessions and game minutes all the way to team level.

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It's true Depay has struggled to make the grade since signing for the Red Devils last summer. The former PSV Eindhoven attacking talisman moved to Old Trafford in a deal said to be worth £31 million.

Jon Super/Associated Press

All United have gotten for their return is a mere four goals in all competitions, according to ESPN FC. That paltry total includes just two league goals from the 21-year-old.

The result has been manager Louis van Gaal not trusting the winger enough to pick him for an increasing number of games. Depay certainly hasn't been shy about expressing his frustration with the limited playing time.

Back in late December, the player made clear how the robust nature of the Premier League has surprised him, per Marc Williams of the Daily Star: "Defenders are physically strong, very fit and aren't afraid of anything. That was new to me."

OLI SCARFF/Getty Images

But it's not just indifferent form that has marred the forward's time at Old Trafford. Arriving for a training session in an expensive Rolls-Royce convertible reportedly didn't exactly endear Depay to United management, according to Steve Bates of the Daily Mirror.

The incident called Depay's attitude and commitment into question. Former Netherlands international Ruud Gullit raised similar concerns during an interview with Dutch publication De Telegraaf (h/t Callum Davis of the Daily Telegraph): "If you don’t perform, you must not turn up in a brand new Rolls-Royce and a new Hummer at the training ground."

There's more to Depay's mediocre debut season at United than Verheijen's concerns about the club's fitness management. This isn't the first time the Dutchman has been critical of United's approach to training.

During Van Gaal's first season in charge, Verheijen accused the manager of over-training players via his official Twitter feed (h/t UK Reuters). He was also critical of Van Gaal's predecessor David Moyes, calling the Scotsman's training methods "prehistoric."

Verheijen has a long history of taking Premier League managers to task for how they handle training and injury treatment. But Depay's inability to live up to his billing so far for the Red Devils also includes concerns over his temperament and goes beyond Verheijen's now all-too familiar complaints.