Ronald Koeman hopes to delay Memphis Depay’s inevitable rise to summit

Ronald Koeman has long suspected that Memphis Depay could have a big impact on the Premier League but he had planned not to be on the receiving end. One of the first things the Dutch manager did when taking charge of Southampton 15 months ago was try to persuade the winger to join him there but Depay decided against the move. On Sunday he will finally go to St Mary’s but in the jersey of Manchester United. Late might not be better than never as far as Koeman is concerned.


“We showed our interest but they [Depay’s agents] said ‘no, he will stay in Holland another year, then maybe he will move’,” said Koeman, whose brother, Erwin, the assistant head coach at Southampton, has the same agents as Depay. Koeman’s interest had been aroused while he was manager of Feyenoord and Depay was making his breakthrough season at PSV before going on to excel at the 2014 World Cup, where he became his country’s youngest ever scorer in the finals.
Having declined Koeman’s offer to follow him from Holland to Southampton, Depay stayed at PSV and enjoyed another season, by which time even bigger clubs were on his trail. Koeman knew there was no point trying to rival United’s £25m for the player when he moved to Old Trafford in May, stating: “We know if there is interest also from the big clubs, then we don’t win it.”

Depay has already earned more admirers at United, for whom he has scored three goals in three Champions League outings, though he has yet to find the net in the Premier League. Koeman is convinced he will succeed in England and hopes 21-year-old does not open his league account on Sunday, when is likely to be deployed wide and the fit-again Wayne Rooney returns to the central striking role for United.

“He’s strong physically, he’s fast and he’s clinical – he can score goals,” says Koeman. “If he keeps his feet on the ground, then the boy has a lot of good qualities and won’t have a problem [in the Premier League].”
Koeman hopes that any influence that Depay exerts on Sunday will be offset by that of Sadio Mané, the winger whom Southampton refused to sell to United during the summer. The manager says Mané has never complained about that decision and that the pair have never even talked about it. “I didn’t have any discussion with Mané about the interest,” says Koeman. “He was training and playing normally. If the player’s behaviour is OK, then there’s no question. There were some rumours in the press but there was no issue for Mané, nor for the club.”

The Senegal international did not start last week’s dreary 0-0 draw at West Bromwich Albion because he was jaded after playing for his country in Namibia and South Africa, but he will begin on Sunday, with his speed and incisive running being key components of Southampton’s weaponry. . This posts are taken from the original authorized page. Authorized by the original author.