Rutten: Depay is struggling because he misses his mother

Former PSV manager Fred Rutten believes that Memphis Depay's struggles at Manchester United may be in part down to being so far away from his mother.

Memphis, who moved to Old Trafford following a stellar season in which he won the Eredivisie as the league's top scorer in 2015, has failed to recreate the same form he showed in the Netherlands and has found first-team opportunities hard to come by as a result.

With his father having walked out on the family when he was a child, the 22-year-old naturally has a strong relationship with his mother and Rutten, Memphis' former boss, believes not being able to see her regularly may be affecting his performances.

"He has a very good relationship with his mother and I think that's part of it," he told the Manchester Evening News. "But he's still young - young players take time to develop.

"Twenty years ago, they had much more time to impress; now they have to [perform immediately]".

And while representing Manchester United at such a young age is a massive opportunity, Rutten feels that a move elsewhere might be key in helping Memphis reach his full potential.

"Sometimes, young players, they switch clubs and then you see them come back," he said.

"There's still big young players who leave the club and in one moment they are back again and they can develop more. I believe in the boy".