Pierre van Hooijdonk hopes Louis van Gaal is tactically astute enough to ensure that Manchester United's latest big-money signing Memphis Depay does not become an Old Trafford flop.
Depay formally completed his move from PSV earlier this month – the transfer was initially announced in May – and the young forward has been warned by fellow Dutchman Ronald Koeman to expect a tricky transition as he attempts to acclimatise to the Premier League.
Former Netherlands international Van Hooijdonk thinks Van Gaal needs to think carefully about how he deploys the 21-year-old, who netted 22 Eredivisie goals in 2014-15 en route to winning the title.
Van Gaal and Depay worked together at international level, a relationship that ex-Celtic striker Van Hooijdonk believes will be crucial.
"I don't know yet how Depay will fit in and in which position, but when you sign a forward player you have to be very careful," Van Hooijdonk told the Sunday People.
"You have to create an environment the player has played in.
"A lot of coaches take a player out of that environment and put him in a different environment, and then it’s not going to happen.
"Memphis plays on the left. I don't think he will play on the right. Maybe he could play in the two up front.
"He is capable of creating something and making things happen, and he can score goals.
"These qualities these days are very important. Many teams struggle to score goals.
"He's not a central forward, he plays more from the left and comes inside quite a lot. He still needs to find the right balance."
