As far as the last two summer transfer windows are concerned, Manchester United have left it late to conclude much of their business.

Too late, it would seem, for the liking of manager Louis van Gaal, who bolstered his squad on Thursday afternoon with the announcement that an agreement had been reached with PSV Eindhoven to sign Memphis Depay for a fee in the range of £18-30m, depending upon which report you opt to believe.

By Van Gaal's own admission, the deal was struck earlier than what had originally been planned, with Paris Saint-Germain on the verge of firming up their interest, while bitter rivals Liverpool were also reportedly keen onlookers.

Is Depay worth such urgency? Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at what the 21-year-old will add to the Red Devils as they bid to wrestle the Premier League title away from Chelsea in 2015-16.

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Background

Born in the Dutch town of Moordrecht, Depay is said to have had a troubled childhood. The break-up of his mother's relationship with his Ghanaian father had a big impact on a then four-year-old Depay, who it is claimed found restbite through playing football.

In 2006, he joined the youth ranks at PSV, where his attitude was sometimes called into question by coaches. However he has become more mature with age, according to those who have worked closely with him.

The back of his Man United shirt is likely to be branded with Memphis, rather than Depay. Having had little contact with his father, he has decided during his time at PSV to drop the family name from any jersey that he wears.

Following confirmation of his move to Old Trafford, many people passed comment on the numerous tattoos that cover his body. One, on his left arm, is dedicated to his late grandfather, with another on the torso reading: 'Dream chaser'.

Talking about his grandfather, Depay once said: "That man gave me a lot of strength and took great care of me. [When he died] I thought to myself, I've got to go for it. I know where I want to go, and that is the top."

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2014-15 season

The 2013-14 campaign was a breakthrough one for Depay at PSV, during which he scored a respectable 14 goals from 43 outings in all competitions.

This time around, though, he has taken the Eredivisie by storm. In his 28 outings in the Dutch top flight, Depay has found the net on 21 occasions, with two matches of the campaign still left to play.

To put that into context, the club's main striker Luuk de Jong has made two more appearances than the youngster, with a goal return of two less.

With two players in such fine goalscoring form, it is little wonder that PSV have been able to end the recent Ajax stranglehold on the Eredivisie to win a first title since 2008.

As for the Europa League, Depay scored six times as PSV reached the last 32 - only three players have more goals to their name in this season's competition, which has now entered the semi-final stage.

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Style of play

The statistics above become even more remarkable when considering that Depay does not feature in a central attacking role. Instead, the predominantly right-footed Depay will start on the left flank, which allows him to cut inside his marker and shoot for goal.

With pace in abundance, it was perhaps inevitable that the comparisons with Arjen Robben, who also starred for PSV before joining Chelsea in 2004 at the age of 20, would surface.

Yet, while Depay is capable of mimicking his fellow countryman's direct approach when necessary, he possesses more skill on the ball than the speed-reliant Bayern Munich star.

With that in mind, it is more accurate to match him up with Cristiano Ronaldo during his early days at United. Just like Ronaldo, there is a touch of arrogance and showmanship about Depay, who likes to delight supporters with flicks and stepovers. Also in keeping with the Portuguese talisman, Depay is a confident set-piece taker.

Speaking to United's official website, former defender Jaap Stam said of Depay: "The football capabilities he has are very important and he's very confident in himself. That's very important for him to succeed at United."

However, whereas a skinny Ronaldo needed to bulk up before he was able to truly thrive in England, Depay will have no such problems. His muscular physique means that he is rarely bullied out of possession.

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Where will he play?

For Van Gaal, the more versatile of a footballer at his disposal, the better. Take skipper Wayne Rooney, who has been used in the centre of midfield, in the number 10 role and as the central striker this season.

Fortunately for Depay, he fits the bill. Although seemingly more comfortable playing on the left side, he can also play wide on the right as part of an attacking three or a midfield four.

There were also rumours at last year's World Cup that Van Gaal, who was in charge of the Netherlands, had used Depay as a wing-back during training sessions, which means that he could potentially also operate in a 3-5-2 formation.

Also, his pace and composure in front of goal could make him an attractive option to feature as a lone centre-forward, particularly in tricky away matches where the opposition defence needs to be stretched, thus allowing the team's playmakers more space to make a nuisance of themselves.

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International

It is easy to see why Depay is so fond of Van Gaal when learning that it was the 63-year-old who handed him his senior international debut against Turkey in October 2013.

From that moment onwards he remained in Van Gaal's plans, so it was little surprise when he selected as part of the 23-man squad for the World Cup in Brazil. He did not feature in the 5-1 drubbing of holders Spain, but Depay's tournament came to life after that.

He scored the winner against Australia, which was his first international goal and also saw him become the youngest Dutchman to have found the net at the tournament at 20 years and four months. That was followed by him scoring the second goal in a 2-0 victory over Chile.

Depay also started the quarter-final against Costa Rica, with his performances being recognised by FIFA, who included him on their three-man shortlist for the Young Player of the Tournament - an award that eventually went to France's Paul Pogba.

Since Van Gaal's departure, Depay has continued to be a regular under the management of Guus Hiddink. It was his display against Spain earlier this year that caught the eye, with Sports Mole's Matt Law commenting in his player ratings article: "Further enhanced his growing reputation with another super performance. Gave Spain all sorts of problems and brought a couple of smart saves from David de Gea."

As for Hiddink, he once said: "I first thought that it was hard to approach [Depay] but I was wrong. He is incredibly interested and keen to learn."

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Weaknesses

Of course, for all the excitement that has surrounded Depay's signing and the undoubted potential at his disposal, it must be remembered that he is a 21-year-old with just 122 senior club matches and 15 international caps under his belt.

It is often accepted that players of such age, especially those that play out wide, can cause frustration. To use Ronaldo once again as a prime example, it was not until his fourth season in the Premier League that his decision making improved significantly.

Indeed, while Depay has scored 21 goals, he has a shot accuracy of just 46%, with 59 shots on target and 68 either flying wide or over the crossbar, according to Squawka What's more, a further 27 efforts have been blocked.

His shoot-on-sight outlook has been known to annoy teammates on occasions and, as a wide player, he will have to improve upon his return of just four assists in the Eredivisie so far this term.

In England, Depay will also come up against much more streetwise defenders and managers that will put measures in place to stop him from cutting inside to such devastating effect. With that in mind, becoming even more competent with his left foot could prove to be another useful string to his bow.