Van Nistelrooy believes Depay not ready to make the difference at Manchester United

Ruud van Nistelrooy believes Memphis Depay will need time to become a key figure at Manchester United following his move from PSV.

Depay has netted five goals in 17 appearances in all competitions since joining United, but has received criticism in recent weeks following a number of underwhelming performances.

However, Van Nistelrooy has called for patience as the 21-year-old adjusts to the rigours of Premier League football.

"Memphis has the quality and ability to replicated the achievements of David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo," the former Netherlands striker was quoted as saying by The Daily Mail.

"But to make a difference at United, it means being really brilliant and being decisive in big games. He is not yet ready for that quite yet.

"He will rise again, though. He will become better and more influential. He is really eager to learn.

"When he is with the national team, I have worked very closely with him. We watch his video clips a lot and closely analyse what he can do better and improve upon. As a coach, I always look to accentuate positives to make his strong points even better. He will get there, I'm sure."

Depay played a key role in United's 2-1 win over Watford at the weekend, opening the scoring with a fine finish after a cross from Ander Herrera for his second league goal of the season.