De Boer: Depay cannot afford to look like a clown - Aubameyang can

Memphis Depay's lacklustre performances at Manchester United meant he could not justify his flamboyant lifestyle off the pitch whereas Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's goalscoring exploits mean people do not care if he dresses like a "clown", says Ronald de Boer.

Netherlands international Depay endured a tricky 18-month spell at Old Trafford and departed for Lyon in January, where he has made a positive start to life in Ligue 1 scoring three goals in seven league outings.

De Boer, himself an ex-Netherlands star, believes Depay was attracting headlines for the wrong reasons with his fashion sense while at United and says players can only get away with such attention if they are producing the goods for their clubs - like Aubameyang continues to do at Borussia Dortmund.

"Memphis is a great talent. It just did not work out," De Boer told Sport360.

"He has his characteristics and perhaps he can be smarter at times. When people expect you to do things and you don't deliver, don't do other things to attract attention. Aubameyang, I saw him in a blue suit, an ugly one in which he looked like a clown, but it is accepted because he is scoring goals, so everyone laughs about it.

"But if you are not scoring goals and playing bad, people will say he is thinking more about his clothes or whatever. They have to be smart, you really have to work.

"The only thing I thought when I saw him playing was that you cannot stand on the ball and have time, in England they are much stronger and faster, you have to adapt. He did not really do that. He's got it but thought he could do it standing still, he did not do it while moving. You need a good start. When you have doubts and they do not go away there is more pressure and people expect.

"But he is still young and he is at Lyon which is a great team. I still think he can have an incredible turnaround. He has the quality."