Memphis Depay would be wise to listen to this advice.
The Manchester United winger was signed from PSV Eindhoven for £25m, to much fanfare and hype, last summer, but completely failed to convince, scoring just twice in 29 appearances and failing to make a single assist.
However, that could end up looking like the glory days of Depay’s United career, as he has been frozen-out of the first-team this season by Jose Mourinho.
The 22-year-old hasn’t started a single game in the Premier League or the Europa League this season, and has made only six appearances in both competitions, totalling 90 minutes of action.
He was also left out of Mourinho’s 21-man squad to play Fenerbahce in the Europa League on Thursday.
If Depay isn’t already convinced that he should leave Old Trafford at the next available opportunity, then he should listen to the advice of his former manager Dick Advocaat.
The Fenerbahce manager, who worked with Depay at PSV, has told him that he needs to leave United or risk not fulfilling his potential.
“The potential is there for him to be a good player,” Advocaat said. “You cannot lose that; he has the quality to be a top player. But the problem is for him is that there are so many quality players in that squad, so for himself it’s important to start playing regularly at the age he’s at.”
“Otherwise, the way I think is that maybe he has to find another solution [club], because he’s too good to sit on the bench.
“I still believe in him. He has the right mentality and the right character to play for United, but there are so many options there. Regular playing time (elsewhere) will help his progression.”
Depay has been linked with a January move to AC Milan, and it appears he’s not part of Mourinho’s plans at United if he hasn’t been deemed worthy of a place, even on the bench, for a Europa League tie.
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