‘City is still Red’ but Memphis Depay insists he has matured since ill-fated spell at Manchester United

Memphis Depay wants to put one thing straight - he does not own red leather jacket.

Aside from that he has no problem with Wayne Rooney's assessment of his time at Manchester United.

Back in the city where he spent a miserable 18 months, Depay was in a mischievous mood.

The Dutchman, who was once hailed the new Cristiano Ronaldo, is in town to face Pep Guardiola's Manchester City as Lyon try to spring an early surprise in the Champions League.

And sat in the bowels of the Etihad, he gave a glimpse of that flamboyant personality that proved so frustrating during his time at Old Trafford when declaring the 'city is still red.'

But there was also an acceptance that he wasn't without blame for his failures at United, insisting he'd grown since his £24m move in the summer of 2015 turned so sour.

Photo: AFP/Getty Images/Scott Heppell

Rooney suggested Depay was his own worst enemy when recounting a story of the winger turning up for a reserve team match in his Rolls Royce Phantom, wearing a cowboy hat and red leather jacket.

"Me and Wayne are very good friends," said Depay. "Of course he is a legend and when I heard about it I was just questioning, I don't have a red leather jacket out of my thousand leather jackets.

"I understand what he meant. It doesn't need to be brought up again. Still, it is.

"It's in the past and I'm a flamboyant guy and Iike nice stuff - but that doesn't mean I couldn't be more smart.

"I've become more mature.

"Other than that, sometimes we take things too seriously and you should laugh about a joke and keep going.

"I'm sure he (Rooney) is happy with how I turn up now and the football player I am. I've been gaining more quality and feel very strong. It's all good."

Signed by Louis van Gaal, Depay scored just seven goals in 53 appearances for United after be labelled one of the most exciting young talents in Europe when arriving from PSV Eindhoven.

He was eventually sold to Lyon in 2017 after failing to convince Jose Mourinho he had what it takes to survive at Old Trafford.

After rebuilding his career in France, Depay insists fans in Manchester will see a very different player on Wednesday to the one who struggled to fill the famous No7 of United.

He refuses to lay the blame at the feet of Van Gaal (below) for his failures in England - but does suggest he might reveal all about their relationship in a book one day.

Photo: Matthew Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images

"I have been improving a lot," said Depay. "Not only on the pitch, but off as a person. I've become more mature.

"You go through experiences in life on and off the pitch. When I came back today I felt like a different person.

"Everybody knows the story of me and Manchester United was not successful. I'm just happy that I'm the player I am today.

"I can look back and say I didn't want it to go like that - nobody did - but things happened. I became a much better player."

"After one season, I couldn't find myself in the team," he said. "I was still young, didn't get a lot of opportunities, but I must say that the first season I didn't put the quality on the table that I thought I would.

"I don't think it's good to look back. It's good to look forward. I'm 24, I take a lot of pleasure every day from being on the pitch.

"Maybe sometimes you need to go through life and experience things to get more mature.

"That helped me definitely, also in the mental game I've been stronger. I just see positive things now."

Were Van Gaal's stifling tactics to blame for his failures?

"That would be too easy to blame, saying Van Gaal gave me no freedom," he added. "That would be too easy.

"Once you lose your connection with the coach and don't feel confident, it's difficult - especially if people expect a lot of you when you are young.

"I have seen Van Gaal at the testimonial game of Dirk Kuyt and we didn't really speak about it.

"Certain things that happened I don't want to say now in public, I don't feel like it matters any more. Maybe when I write a book someday I will speak about it, but for the moment, no.

"There were some miscommunications and once again I cannot blame that or a particular thing for the way things happened.

"That's all I want to say.

"I'm here to spread positivity and I'm back in Manchester, it's great to be back. The sun came up when I came out, I still speak with lads from United and I wish everybody the best and you never know what happens in the future.

"I just want to level up my game with Lyon and bring them to a higher game. The way we play football excites me."

And just to make it clear there are no hard feelings, Depay is aiming to get one over to old enemy on Wednesday.

"For sure, the city is still red and we will try to get a good result against the Blues," he said.

Match prediction

Cast your vote in our poll.