Manchester United Transfer News 2015-16: Will Memphis Depay Be Next Cristiano Ronaldo? What the Numbers Say
Memphis Depay looks primed for a move to the Old Trafford this next season, making him Manchester United's next prized possession.
He was a huge player for PSV Einhoven, scoring a whopping 22 goals in the Eredivise for the Dutch club.
As a major prospect, Depay seems to have his sights set very high and he recently stated that he hoped to match Cristiano Ronaldo's talent level while wearing the Red Devils' uniform.
"I heard people compare me to Cristiano Ronaldo. It's great to hear other people say that, but I'm still 21, and I hope one day I can reach the level of Cristiano Ronaldo," Depay said, according to Goal.com. "I'm the same player as him in style and he's a big hero for me. He scored so many goals and I have to fight to be the same."
Statistically speaking, Depay is looking pretty good. Ronaldo had not scored 20 goals for any club until he hit the age of 22 during the 2006-07 season. And even then, he only scored 17 goals in the Premier League and 23 in all competitions for Manchester United. Prior to that breakout year, Ronaldo maxed out at 12 goals in 47 appearances for Manchester United as a 21-year-old.
But since then, Ronaldo's ascension as a great goal scorer sped up. Since the 2006-07 season, Ronaldo has not scored fewer than 23 goals in a year. More importantly, since joining Real Madrid, the superstar has not scored fewer than 33, and even that was an anomaly as every single season since then has seen the superstar notch at least 50 or more goals.
Will Depay ever manage that feat? He could start by scoring 30 for Manchester at some point and then manage 40 or more goals over all competitions the way Ronaldo did in 2007-08 season.
It will be interesting to see where Depay goes from here. He will be a great player, but is he the next Cristiano Ronaldo? Time will tell.
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