Memphis Depay's stellar performance for Manchester United against Club Brugge at Old Trafford last Tuesday night gave an insight into why the club were prepared to invest so much to bring the youngster to the club.
A brace of spectacular and very different goals generated tremendous excitement and made a significant contribution as United gained the upper hand in a crucial tie. Goals have been difficult to come by for the Red Devils this season, making Memphis' performance all the more vital.
Juan Mata García @juanmata8One step closer... Un paso más cerca... #ChampionsLeague. The atmosphere at #OldTrafford 👌🏻👌🏻. @ManUtd @ManUtd_Es
It would take an accountant with access to the books to confirm this, but if Memphis' goals are the difference between Champions League qualification and a Europa League campaign, he will have gone a long way to paying back his transfer fee, mere months into his United career.
To call his purchase a "steal" at a BBC Sport-reported fee of £31 million, though, is probably a stretch. As I wrote when discussing Angel Di Maria, all transfers have a component of risk, and bringing in a young player from a less competitive league will always be a gamble.
He is just 21 years old and has played his entire professional career in the Netherlands. He has already shown some of his inexperience during this early phase of his United career. It is no surprise that the game he was most able to influence so far was against Belgian league opposition.
He was given more time on the ball in that game than he has been in the league so far. He looked more familiar with that kind of treatment. Often in the Premier League he has looked to do a little too much and held on to the ball a little too long, only to be dispossessed.
Louis van Gaal hinted at that after the opening-day win over Tottenham Hotspur, saying, "I think that every player who play here his first match is eager and has a lot of passion to show himself maybe too much. I have said in advance to the boys, you don't have to be very eager to play this match and with a lot of passion, you need to use your brain also."
It was a theme he returned to after the draw with Newcastle, where he pointed to issues with Memphis' decision-making, saying, "Today he made not always the best choice, but that is also a characteristic of a young player, and it is not so easy in the Premier League."
Van Gaal also said that this was a "characteristic of young players."
That is an important caveat, but it is also part of the reason why the transfer fee is too high to be described as a steal—a term which could happily applied to the reported £6.3 million for Bastian Schweinsteger, according to German newspaper Bild (h/t the Independent), or the reported £12.7 million fee for Matteo Darmian, per BBC Sport.
There is, however, a potential future that would render the fee paid a retrospective steal. If Memphis can live up to the very maximum of his potential, United will have a true world-beater on their hands.
His wonderful technique and self-belief were both on show against Club Brugge.
Manchester United @ManUtdTwo goals and an assist - few could argue with tonight's Man of the Match result. Congratulations, @Memphis!
The first goal saw him capture a ball using his head, chest and feet, lift it over an opponent, beat a man in the box and rifle the ball home.
The second saw him sell a defender on a run, causing him to commit to a movement away from the ball. Memphis then used the space he had bought to maximum effect, curling a shot past the 'keeper.
Both goals displayed skill and composure and the ability to execute under tremendous pressure. A win in this game was genuinely crucial for United's season, reputation and short-term future, such is the importance of the Champions League. It was a telling display of ability.
Manchester United @ManUtdLouis van Gaal hails the performance of @Memphis: "I want to kiss him tonight!" #mufc
His final campaign in his homeland was a hugely successful one, as he topped the Eredivisie scoring charts while helping PSV Eindhoven to the title. If the kind of talismanic quality that he displayed at such a young age can be transferred to United, his value will grow.
The primary point of comparison for Memphis—unfortunately given the size of the shadow he casts—will always be Cristiano Ronaldo. It is not so much the number on his back. The No. 7 shirt has been occupied by Michael Owen, Antonio Valencia and Angel Di Maria since Ronaldo left the club, none of whom did it much in the way of justice.
However, it is the style of No. 7 that Memphis is that brings Ronaldo to mind. The Portuguese also arrived at United having outgrown the league in his homeland—albeit he was a few years younger than Memphis is when he did so. Their playing styles are similar, too—or at least, Memphis' current playing style is reminiscent of Ronaldo's before he peaked.
Fond of a trick and a stepover and partial to a knuckleball free-kick, Ronaldo is a player Memphis idolises, saying, per Joshua Hayward of Eurosport, "He is a big hero for me. He scores so many goals and I want to be the same, so I have to work harder and harder every day to be one of the best players in the world. I believe in myself and that is important."
For £31 million, Memphis would need to get close to Ronaldo's level to truly be labelled a steal. Ronaldo was, of course, sold by United for a then-world record of £80 million, and somehow he managed to be so good that looked like a steal for Real Madrid.
None of this is by way of suggesting Memphis will not be a success at United, or that his transfer fee was inflated beyond a reasonable amount. Indeed, it is more by way of saying that the fee paid is a fair reflection of his current level and potential, which is meant as a compliment to his ability.
Perhaps it represents a better value for money signing than, say, Raheem Sterling to Manchester City. However, as I have previously argued, the ratio of player quality to fee paid is an overly simplistic way of interpreting the value of a transfer.
If a club can afford a fee, and the player adds value to their squad, then the precise terms of the deal are not hugely relevant, especially where supporters are concerned..
What is most important about the transfer of Memphis to United is not the consideration of how much of a bargain the Red Devils got. What is really important in this case—as it was in the case of Sterling to City—is that the club got their man.
United are desperately lacking for attacking invention at the moment. The one game in which they have truly demonstrated that quality so far this season was the game in which it came from Memphis.
Assuming he can start to producing that level of quality against Premier League defences, he should form a vital part of any success United have in the next few seasons.
And there is every reason to assume he will bring that level of quality against Premier League defences. Last season was a culmination of several years of improvement in the Dutch league. He stepped up his game against World Cup opposition last summer.
And in his four-game-old competitive United career, he has already made a potentially season-defining contribution by putting United in the box seat for Champions League qualification.
The transfer fee was too much to be labelled a steal, yes, but not anywhere near enough to be considered unreasonable. Memphis looks like the real deal, and his development could be a real cause for optimism for United and their supporters.
All quotes obtained firsthand except where otherwise stated.
