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Depay has talent but he is not Messi or Ronaldo - Van Gaal

Memphis Depay is a target for Barcelona but Louis van Gaal has suggested the Lyon forward might not be quite what his old club require.

By Daniel Lewis
Memphis Depay and Louis van Gaal

London, September 12: Memphis Depay is a talented player who can offer a lot, but Louis van Gaal has warned Barcelona that the Lyon forward will not solve all of their problems.

The 27-year-old is a target for the La Liga giants, where former Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman is in charge following Quique Setien's dismissal.

After a disappointing spell under Van Gaal at Manchester United, Dutchman Depay has revived his career at Lyon by scoring and assisting a combined 63 goals in three full seasons at the Groupama Stadium.

Juninho says Depay in 'strong position' amid Barca interest, Lyon dreaming of BenzemaJuninho says Depay in 'strong position' amid Barca interest, Lyon dreaming of Benzema

But Van Gaal, who also coached Depay for the Netherlands national side, said Barca would not be getting a world-class player of similar calibre to Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.

"There's always a question mark," he told Tuttomercatoweb. "Depay is an interesting player, especially when he's free to play.

"But we have to consider adapting to a new culture and a new team. And the first year is always the hardest. Look at [Matthijs] de Ligt or Frenkie de Jong.

"Depay has talent, but he's not Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo."

Depay picked up from where he left off by scoring a hat-trick against Dijon in Lyon's opening game of the Ligue 1 season last month, before playing a full part in both of the Netherlands' Nations League games over the past week.

Story first published: Saturday, September 12, 2020, 11:09 [IST]
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