Man Utd flop reveals why he struggled to adapt to life at Old Trafford

Memphis Depay has hit back at claims he was more concerned about his image than performances during his time at Manchester United.

The winger failed to live up to expectations at Old Trafford after joining the club from Ajax in 2015, scoring just twice in 33 Premier League appearances before leaving for Lyon in January 2017.

Memphis was often criticised for wearing extravagant clothes and driving expensive cars, but the Netherlands international has dismissed the idea that he was a ‘party boy’.

“I wasn’t really myself [at United],” Memphis told the Sunday Times. “I didn’t change the way I was dressing or driving but it didn’t make me feel good.

“People think I think so much of myself but it was really the other way around. I was driving a nice car but not enjoying it.

“Feeling people don’t like me, because they imagine I’m thinking I’m better than them. I was struggling with that.

“I remember some of the quotes about me, like ‘party boy’. That’s just pure lies. I went out only once in one and a half years in Manchester and it wasn’t even fun. I am not a party boy.

“The problem is people read then see you on the pitch and think ‘this guy is taking the p***, goes to Manchester and wears No.7, isn’t playing well, just parties, he’s driving a Rolls Royce.’ Nothing positive. And that’s basically a guy I’m not.

“I had to learn to be deaf and blind [to the criticism].”

Memphis has since got his career back on track at Lyon, where he has scored 33 goals in 91 appearances to date. Manchester United retain a buyback clause on the 24-year-old.