Memphis Depay will have been acutely aware of the opportunity that last night presented to him.England football fans don’t share an overly positive opinion of the Netherlands international following his disappointing stint at Manchester United.And so what better way to prove a point than by shining, albeit in a friendly, against England?The Netherlands won’t be at the World Cup in Russia this summer after a desperately frustrating qualifying campaign that saw them finish third behind Sweden on goal difference.And you can get a sense of why Oranje won’t be travelling to Russia after last night.England were superior for much of the much, Gareth Southgate’s side looking organised and displaying some nice build-up.Jesse Lingard’s goal in the 59th minute secured a confidence-boosting 1-0 win in Amsterdam.
What fans were saying about Memphis
As for Memphis, it was a wasted opportunity to silence those who don’t think he’s good enough for Man United.
The 24-year-old has impressed for Ligue 1 outfit Lyon this season, scoring 13 goals in all competitions, but he failed to make an impact last night.
The general feeling among Man United supporters on social media is that Memphis isn’t doing anything to suggest the Red Devils were wrong to let him leave.
He did look like the Netherlands’ most dangerous player but that seems to say more about the quality of Ronald Koeman’s squad than anything else.
The Evening Standard didn’t hold back in a rather scathing assessment of Memphis’ character.
‘Memphis Depay is deluded’ reads the sub-heading to the analysis.
'He was anonymous for long periods'
“Depay still claims he can become one of the best players in the world but not on this evidence,” they wrote.
“A move to Lyon from Manchester United in January last year has renewed his confidence and clearly provoked some wishful thinking too.
“He was anonymous for long periods and kept subdued comfortably by England's backline.”
It seems like the Premier League isn’t missing out on much, then.
The former PSV Eindhoven man, brought to Man United in 2015 for £30 million, recently opened up on why it just didn’t work out for him in England.
“I cannot be anyone else but Memphis. I tried that, and I was not happy with myself. Back in Manchester, I was not happy with myself,” he told Canal+.
“How can I be a great football player when you're not happy with yourself? I looked in the mirror and I was not happy, I was sad. Now I'm happy to be myself.”
The jury remains out on whether Memphis will ever become the player he thinks he can be.