Pierre van Hooijdonk hopes Louis van Gaal is tactically astute enough to ensure that Manchester United's latest big-money signing Memphis Depay does not become an Old Trafford flop.

Depay formally completed his move from PSV earlier this month – the transfer was initially announced in May – and the young forward has been warned by fellow Dutchman Ronald Koeman to expect a tricky transition as he attempts to acclimatise to the Premier League.

Former Netherlands international Van Hooijdonk thinks Van Gaal needs to think carefully about how he deploys the 21-year-old, who netted 22 Eredivisie goals in 2014-15 en route to winning the title.

Van Gaal and Depay worked together at international level, a relationship that ex-Celtic striker Van Hooijdonk believes will be crucial. 

"I don't know yet how Depay will fit in and in which position, but when you sign a forward player you have to be very careful," Van Hooijdonk told the Sunday People.

"You have to create an environment the player has played in.

"A lot of coaches take a player out of that environment and put him in a different environment, and then it’s not going to happen.

"Memphis plays on the left. I don't think he will play on the right. Maybe he could play in the two up front.

"He is capable of creating ­something and making things ­happen, and he can score goals.

"These qualities these days are very important. Many teams struggle to score goals.

"He's not a central forward, he plays more from the left and comes inside quite a lot. He still needs to find the right balance."