Memphis Depay is planning to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo after sealing a move to Manchester United.
Depay will join United ahead of the 2015-16 season after PSV agreed a deal thought to be worth £22.3 million with the Old Trafford club earlier in May.
United boss Louis Van Gaal has already compared the 21-year-old with Lionel Messi as a player who scores goals from the wing.
Now Depay has welcomed comparisons to former United star Ronaldo, and has vowed to 'fight' to reach the level of the Real Madrid forward.
"I heard people compare me to Cristiano Ronaldo," he told Goal at the launch of the Under Armour Speedform boot.
"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.
"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."
Goal exclusively revealed last July that Depay had been advised by Van Gaal to stay with PSV for another season before making the move to the Premier League.
And Depay has confirmed conversations with the former Netherlands boss helped him make the decision to remain in the Netherlands for another year.
"He [Van Gaal] is different," Depay said. "His performance on the training ground is different from other trainers. After the World Cup he told me to stay hungry and I told myself to stay hungry.
"When I made the decision to stay I wanted to be champion and top scorer. I set those goals and I hope to achieve them. It will be great to have an opportunity to train with him and work with him.
“I made the choice to stay an extra year together with my manager at PSV and the people around me. It was a good choice, I think?
"We became champions in the Dutch league and with one more game left I can become top scorer. That’s a good choice, yeah?
“I have learned more every day. It is to do with how many games you play and how many situations you face on the pitch.”
Depay helped PSV seal the Eredivisie title this season and is now eagerly anticipating a dream move to the Premier League.
"I'm very excited. I always dreamed about the Premier League. It's a dream come true but I'm not finished and I stay hungry."
No comments:
Post a Comment