Memphis Depay was at Manchester United too soon in his career, believes Rio Ferdinand as he hailed the 'maverick' for his performance in Holland's 2-0 Group C win over Austria at the Euros on Thursday night.
Great things were expected of Depay when he signed for United in a £25million deal from PSV Eindhoven as a 21-year-old in 2015.
However, the forward lasted just 18 months at Old Trafford before he sold to Lyon in January 2017 for an initial £16m - having scoring just seven goals in 53 appearances for United.
In his four-and-a-half years in France, Depay has been a revelation and his performances at Lyon look set to earn him a free transfer to Barcelona this summer.
Depay proved his class at international level once more on Thursday, scoring from the penalty spot as Holland booked their place in the last 16 at Euro 2020.
And speaking about why Depay's time at United didn't pan out as it should, Ferdinand feels the now 27-year-old has matured as a player.
'I think it comes down to numerous things,' he said as a pundit on BBC Sport.
'Timing, the right time and right place, and maturity, he may have gone there too young.
'And coaching, the right coaching at the right time.'
Ferdinand, who won 10 major honours during a trophy-laden spell at United, was effusive about the Dutch star's skillset after the Oranje's win over Austria.
'I think he's a maverick. He's a new-age type of personality who embraces everything of the lifestyle of a football player and beyond, and some people who are old school don't like that and it's taken time for someone even like me to adapt to that.'
Source: m.allfootballapp.com