I was totally unhappy at Man United – I achieved more in first six months at Atletico

As Manchester United prepare to take on Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, the list of players who turned out for both clubs is a long one. While some thrived at each club, with David de Gea winning European trophies at both, others found things tougher.

Dutch forward Memphis Depay arrived at Old Trafford in 2015 with plenty of fanfare but left with a whimper. He's now playing with former United colleague Jesse Lingard in Brazil but the intervening period involved 18 months on the books of Tuesday's opponents.

The former PSV Eindhoven star impressed at the 2014 World Cup and scored 28 goals in all competitions in his final season in the Eredivisie. Louis van Gaal got the best out of him at international level but it was a different story in the Premier League.

Memphis scored five times in 11 appearances in Europe but only netted twice in the league. In his 2019 book Heart of a Lion, he reflected on where things went wrong for him in England.

The first season under Van Gaal was frustrating, with the forward admitting he struggled with the defensive responsibilities handed to him by his former international boss, though things got even worse after Jose Mourinho took over as manager. He played just 134 minutes under the Portuguese boss and this took its toll on his mental health in a significant way.

"During that time I lost it," he added. "After training I went home and didn’t want to see anybody. That was mentally a very bad period. And it got worse every day.

"Looking from the outside I had a good life: being a part of one of the biggest clubs in the world, living in a beautiful home with a swimming pool, together with my best friend Gigi [Vitale], driving in a Rolls-Royce. But I was totally unhappy with my life.

You can watch Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United live on Amazon Prime

Watch Atlético Madrid vs Man United for free

Manchester United face Atlético Madrid in the Champions League on October 13. Fans can watch the game for free with an Amazon Prime subscription or 30-day trial.

"For the first time I lost the joy in playing football. The most beautiful thing in my whole life, football, gave me a very sad feeling. The frustration grew by the day and I didn’t know how to change that."

Memphis left United in January 2017 and turned his career around in Lyon. He averaged a goal or an assist for every 100 minutes on the pitch for the French club, earning a move to Barcelona when compatriot Ronald Koeman took over at the Catalan club.

He moved from Barca to Atletico Madrid in January 2023 and it only took him until his fifth appearance - and first start - to pass his United tally of two league goals for the Rojiblancos. There were still frustrations, though, and the Dutchman shared a cryptic farewell message after apparent frustrations at a lack of game time under Diego Simeone.

"Not easy to say how I feel about writing this message because I feel that things could’ve been very different," he wrote. "Maybe it’s better to keep that conversation for another time…

"To Atleti, my team-mates, the staff and especially the fans, I wanna thank you for the energy and support I’ve experienced in my time being a Atleti player I keep the good memories close to my heart."

Memphis joined Corinthians after his departure from Madrid in 2024 and has registered 20 goals and 16 assists in 88 games since, while also becoming his nation's all-time top scorer with 55 and counting. His former sides, meanwhile, have had contrasting starts to the season, with Atletico trailing La Liga leaders Barcelona by five points, while United head to the Metropolitano sat 13th in the Premier League.