Depay wears No. 7 'with pride'
Memphis Depay is confident he will be able to cope with the pressure of wearing the famous number seven for Manchester United.
Depay impressed on his debut on Saturday as United started the season with a comfortable 1-0 win over Tottenham.
The Dutchman attempted a variety of tricks, raced at Tottenham’s back four and played a key part in the build-up to Kyle Walker’s own goal, which settled the match in the 22nd minute.
After wearing nine in preseason, Depay changed his squad number to seven for the new campaign following the departure of Angel Di Maria.
Antonio Valencia famously gave up the squad number as he felt he could not deal with the burden of wearing the same shirt worn by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Eric Cantona and David Beckham.
But Depay is happy to take the pressure on his shoulders and is convinced he will have a good first year at the club.
“Yes, of course [I’m aware of the pressure] and the history,” the United forward said.
“I appreciate the history, but I want to be my own man.
“It’s an honour to wear the number seven and I will wear it with pride.
“Last year I played with seven on my back [for PSV] and I scored a lot of goals so I am confident with that number.”
Depay’s haul of 22 league goals for PSV convinced United to spend £25 million on the Dutchman this summer.
Although Depay failed to score on debut, his mazy runs and trickery brought United fans to the edge of their seats.
The 21-year-old is also aware of the long list of players in United’s history who have displayed similar traits like Ryan Giggs, Ronaldo and George Best.
“I’m aware of that and I want to be as good as possible this year,” Depay added.
“I want to bring creative things, goals.
“I have to play with discipline in midfield. I can’t lose the ball too much, but I can make risks on the sides and when I come into the third phase, then I can make my tricks and take risks.”
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