Manchester United: Louis van Gaal warns fans to be patient with Memphis Depay

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has warned the club's fans not to expect too much too soon from new signing Memphis Depay, although he admitted the 21-year-old has "great potential" for the future.

The Premier League giants completed the signing of the Dutch starlet earlier in May after agreeing to pay PSV Eindhoven a fee believed to be in the region of £31m ($48.9, €41.7m), made up of £24.6m with a further £6.5m due in performance-related bonuses.

And even though he has claimed the Eredivisie's top goalscorer, after Depay netted 22 goals in 30 league appearances, Van Gaal has asked fans to be patience with him due to his youth and his lack of Premier League experience.

"Memphis Depay [is] a young player who has come through the PSV Eindhoven academy system. I worked with Memphis during last summer's World Cup with the Netherlands and he has great potential," the manager said.

"The plan is to help him develop as a player, but we must all be patient. The Premier League is very different from any other league and it will take time for him to fully adapt to the pace and unforgiving nature of football in this country.

"Youth is very important to this club and is a very big part of my philosophy as a manager. We have a number of young players in our first-team squad who have benefited from experiencing first-team football this season and that will help their development going into next season."

Meanwhile, Van Gaal has also paid tribute to the United fans for the support he has received during his debut campaign at Old Trafford, even after setbacks like the League Cup elimination to MK Dons.

"I have been asked recently what has been the biggest highlight of my first season as manager of Manchester United and the answer is always the same – the support of the fans. For me, it is unbelievable and something I have not experienced at the other clubs I have managed," he said.

"From the very first match, which we lost at home against Swansea City, the support has been fantastic. I really wasn't looking forward to the reception I thought I was going to receive at the match against Queens Park Rangers at Old Trafford after the September international break.

"We'd had a poor run of results, including being knocked out of the Capital One Cup in our first match of the competition but, to my surprise, when I walked down the touchline I could not have imagined the support and belief that the fans were showing me and my players. That has continued throughout the season – the supporters have been absolutely first class."