CHELSEA manager Guus Hiddink believes Memphis Depay's form is suffering because he is having to overcome the pressure of being one of Holland's brightest prospects while adjusting to the Premier League.
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| Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink has defended Memphis Depay's form for Man Utd |
Memphis joined Manchester United from PSV Eindhoven in the summer for £31million, but he has struggled to make an impact for Louis van Gaal's side.
The 21-year-old was substituted at half-time in United's 2-0 defeat at Stoke on Boxing Day, and isn't expected to start when Chelsea travel to Old Trafford tomorrow.
But Hiddink has defended the forward, and claims United's more senior players must do more to help him get through his bad spell.
"He's a very young guy," said Hiddink. "When he was in Holland he was one of the star players, at a very young age.
"There is a lack of star players in Holland who are playing already many years in their league so at a young age he was bombarded as one of the big talents.
"He has this talent but he's also now having a confrontation with the demands of the Premier League, which are much higher in intensity of the game during 90 minutes.
"That's a period all players, not just him, have to overcome, and I think they need time for that.
"He has this talent, but he's also giving interviews saying 'hey, I have to get used to another way of playing, the intensity of the games every three days, plus the intensity of the game'. Those guys, they need a bit the cover of experienced players."
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