The forward needed to leave Old Trafford to get his career back on track and two of his former clubs meet this week

This week's Champions League meeting between Atletico Madrid and Manchester United pits two of Memphis Depay's former clubs against one another. The Dutch international left both with some regrets, but the Old Trafford stint had him in a particularly bad place.

Memphis moved to Old Trafford in the summer of 2015 in a move which reunited him with his former Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal. However, the former PSV Eindhoven forward was unable to reprise the magic he produced for the Oranje.

He scored just twice in the Premier League, though five further goals arrived in Europe. Things got even worse in his second season, though, with new manager Jose Mourinho handing him just 134 minutes of competitive football.

In his 2019 book Heart of a Lion, the Dutchman reflected on his time in Manchester. While he got back to his best after leaving England, he said it was an especially tough time.

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"During that time I lost it," he said. "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.

"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."

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United won the Europa League in that first Mourinho season but Memphis played no part in the knockout rounds. By the time the final rolled around he was already well-established at Lyon and enjoyed a fruitful spell with the French club before stints in La Liga with Barcelona and Atletico.

The 32-year-old spent 18 months in the Spanish capital and scored four league goals in his first half-season - twice as many as he delivered in the Premier League. There were still setbacks, however, and the Dutchman posted a cryptic goodbye message following apparent dissatisfaction over how he was used by manager 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."

Depay signed for Corinthians following his exit from Madrid in 2024 and has notched 20 goals and 16 assists across 88 appearances since, while remaining part of the Netherlands picture and becoming his country's record goalscorer with 55 goals to date.

His previous clubs, meanwhile, have endured contrasting beginnings to the campaign. Atletico are five points behind La Liga pacesetters Barcelona after a solid start, while United are languishing in 13th place in the Premier League as they look for a change of fortunes at the Metropolitano.