Manchester United are a club that have seemingly tried everything in an attempt to return to the top, having been so absent from the pinnacle of English football ever since Sir Alex Ferguson's 2013 retirement.
First employing David Moyes on his recommendation, his short-lived tenure gave birth to a decade of managerial upheaval, employing club heroes like Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, legends of the game like Jose Mourinho, and more recently a progress manager in Erik ten Hag with whom they are expected to trust to oversee the creation of a long-term sustainable project.
However, their start to the new Premier League season has thrown doubt over his credentials, with fans quick to forget the good work he engineered the year previously that returned them to the Champions League.
He will be keen to turn things around, but it must be noted that this is a process not to be completed overnight. Along with implementing a system which he hopes to yield unbridled success once again, he is also battling with regard to personnel, and ensuring that the right characters remain within the dressing room.
After all, there have been years of misfires in the market that have left them far from the level they will hope to be at.
When looking back on that plethora of deals that once promised the world, few disappointed so severely like Memphis Depay.
Why did Man United sign Memphis Depay?
Joining from PSV Eindhoven for £31m in 2015, the Dutch winger had been terrorising his homeland for years before the Red Devils came calling, with Louis van Gaal keen to bring in his compatriot in order to revolutionise his frontline.
After all, having scored 28 goals across all competitions in his final year before departing whilst also taking home the division's Golden Boot award, it seemed a foolproof signing especially given the rich history they share with forwards from that nation.
Robin van Persie and Ruud van Nistelrooy had both joined and spearheaded title charges in the past with their goalscoring exploits, and given the 29-year-old had recorded 79 goal contributions in 124 appearances for his club as a youngster, there was every reason to believe that the same might occur, especially under the experienced manager at the helm.
How good was Depay?
It would not pan out as expected, with the trickster scoring just two Premier League goals across a torrid debut year.
Such a titanic club suffering such aggressive upheaval were not to wait about for him to fulfil his potential, and just two years after his 2015 move he had left with just seven goals in 53 outings to his name, seeking to reignite his career with Lyon.
It is clear now that French football suited the dynamic forward far more, and there he would enjoy arguably the pinnacle of a career that later saw him join Barcelona before moving to their La Liga rivals for whom he now plays. Across four years in France, the £145k-per-week earner would score 76 and assist a further 55, typifying the perfect false nine, able to both drop deep to create and spearhead an attacking unit.
Such form then allowed him to become a mainstay for the national side too, with Ronald Koeman noting back in 2018: "He's great, he's turning into a top player. That's great, we need that, especially in attacking positions. He's showing that at Lyon, and at Oranje now as well.
"He has freedom here, that's what he needs to be the best Memphis. He can do that in this team. When he's a lone striker he tends to drift back too much, so we have a hole up front. But when he plays between the lines, like in the last part, he was so strong. He's turning, attacking, he's a joy to watch."
Whilst many might argue that Depay has fulfilled his potential away from Old Trafford, given the huge expectations placed upon his shoulders, this remains a notion still somewhat uncertain.
What was said about Depay when he first signed for Man United?
Given the money expended, it marked a hugely significant outlay for the time, but one which provoked huge interest from the masses.
Van Gaal would seek to talk up his new acquisition just after that 2015 capture, claiming: "I think he is one of the biggest, highly talented boys of his age because he is full of confidence."
However, that confidence would perhaps spill over into arrogance, with Dutch legend Ruud Gullit questioning his attitude during that torrid debut season: "I’m a fan of Memphis and have faith in him, but he has to do something to live up to expectations — and that is to perform.
Lyon
178
76
55
PSV Eindhoven
124
50
29
Manchester United
53
7
6
Barcelona
42
14
2
Atletico Madrid
13
6
0
Data via Transfermarkt.
"If you’re not performing you should not turn up for training in a new Rolls-Royce or Hummer. He’s got to focus entirely on football and that is where his advisors and so-called friends have a key role. He has been regarded as the biggest waste of money this season."
What makes his underperformance and subsequent speedy exit even more frustrating is the calibre of player he was compared to, with ESPN even penning a 2015 article suggesting he could be the club's new Cristiano Ronaldo.
"He is the type of player whom the United faithful have been dying to see since Ronaldo left in 2009 — a player who will make Old Trafford stand up each time he has the ball at his feet, like George Best, Eric Cantona and Ronaldo," writer Paul Parker noted.
An arrogant left winger with all the skill and bravado to terrorise full-backs, the comparisons were admittedly there to be made. However, with one quote reading "He is probably a better footballer than Cristiano Ronaldo was at 21," it feels like this is a report that has certainly not aged well.
How many goals has Cristiano Ronaldo scored?
Having first made his move to Old Trafford in 2003, as a little-known 18-year-old from Portugal, there were next to no expectations on the shoulders of the trickster.
Few could possibly have predicted that this gangly speedster would turn into one of the greatest goalscorers of all time, having currently notched 726 career goals and won countless trophies, including five Champions Leagues.
However, to refute that earlier claim, at 21 the 202-cap superstar had just spearheaded another Premier League triumph for Ferguson, scoring 17 and assisting eight in the process. In fact, just three years later he would make his legendary move to Real Madrid too, where he would become their leading all-time goalscorer and La Liga's second all-time top scorer, only bettered by his long-time rival Lionel Messi.
Depay realistically stood no chance of ever living up to such an impossible comparison, as it is unlikely that football will ever produce someone as talented as the Portuguese ace who won five Ballon d'Or's.
However, what is especially frustrating is that he never even came close, and even though he has enjoyed a solid career in his own right, it marked a lofty comparison that forced far too much weight onto such young shoulders.