Memphis Depay feels comfortable with the appointment of Louis van Gaal as national coach of the Dutch. Stories about their relationship having cooled down after the failed joint adventure at Manchester United (in the 2015/16 season), come from the outside world, according to the 27-year-old striker.
Depay was asked by Willem Vissers about his relationship with Van Gaal. “We are close together,” said the attacker at the press conference. “It’s new for a while, but it immediately feels the same. I think the outside world makes it bigger than it is. If something was not successful in the past, then it has consequences. That’s annoying, but that doesn’t mean that there is a lot “bad things have happened. I have to say that I have grown as a player and as a person, I think the coach has noticed that too. I feel comfortable with the coach and I think it is the other way around.”
Van Gaal wholeheartedly agreed. “I can’t say it better than he does,” said the national coach. “I took him to the World Cup (2014, ed.), when he was twenty. That is very young. Young players are developing. During the World Cup, Memphis actually played in the two-striker system. Sometimes, when we switched to 4- 3-3, he played on the left side, where he also played at PSV. That fit right in, because of course he has an incredible amount of qualities.”
“Then I brought him to Manchester United,” Van Gaal refers to Depay’s 2015 transfer from PSV to England. “Maybe you remember the first position you played in?” Van Gaal asked Depay, who said: “Behind the striker.” “Can you hear it, Willem? Behind the striker, because I know that he is an intuitive player. So you have to give him a lot of freedom. But the team must be able to afford that he can play there. But then I thought, may I say that?” Van Gaal asked again. “Of course,” Depay replied. “That his ability to orientate wasn’t so great.”
Depay agreed. “That’s right. I wasn’t as far as I am now. Now when I’m in midfield I know what to do. I have much better orientation. That’s why I still think that position is very good for me too That’s why you notice that I tend to sag more often, I’ve learned that over the years in France too.”