MEMPHIS DEPAY will become Manchester United’s £30m man this summer and Dick Advocaat has cheekily claimed the young forward cost almost as much as the Sunderland squad he is attempting to keep in the Premier League.

Advocaat spent one year nurturing the prodigious talent when he returned for a second stint as PSV Eindhoven coach in the summer of 2012. Depay, who had been handed his debut a season earlier, was handed 20 appearances despite being just 18 at the time.

That was the year when European’s superpowers started to monitor his development with real interest and, two seasons later, he will be lining up for Manchester United next season after Old Trafford’s money-men fought off competition from Paris St Germain.

Now Advocaat, likely to leave Sunderland at the end of the campaign, is desperate to ensure the Holland international graces the Stadium of Light stage by keeping Sunderland in the English top-flight in the remaining four matches he has in charge.

The Sunderland head coach is appreciative of the differences in finances that he would have to work with compared to compatriot Louis van Gaal, pointing out that the team he is likely to start with at Everton today would be almost as much as Depay’s individual price-tag.

“They paid £30m ... that is almost our whole team!” said Advocaat. “Probably not only the first team but the second team as well. They have bought a very talented, young player full of skills. He is crazy about football.

“He is like (Cristiano) Ronaldo. One hour before, one hour extra after training. He works on himself and also on his body. He is a real professional. The last two years he has improved even more. He was a real professional at a young age when he wasn’t playing.

“It’s difficult to say where he will play. But he can make it. There are crazy prices here in England, but it’s good for PSV.”

While the likes of Adam Johnson (£10m), Steven Fletcher (£12m) and Jack Rodwell (£10m) highlight that Sunderland have invested financially in the squad in recent years, the team Advocaat expects to field at Everton would be considerably less than Depay’s fee.

Only Connor Wickham (£8.1), Lee Cattermole (£5m), Danny Graham (£5m) and Patrick van Aanholt (£1.5m) are likely to start who cost money, with the rest either free signings or loans and Jermain Defoe arrived in a deal which saw Jozy Altidore head the other way.

If Sunderland do stay up for a further season in the Premier League then they are likely to undergo another summer of change given that they will have a new head coach heading in to his first summer in charge.

One of the players likeliest to have moved on was Graham, although he has made a favourable impression on Advocaat after his recent two appearances having failed to impress either Gus Poyet.

Advocaat said: “When Danny is not in the team he still works very hard in training. It’s good that he gets the chance to play. He is a real target man.

“In the second half against Stoke he was a real target man for us, he gave others the opportunity to come up. Now when he gets the ball he gets support. That’s what I said to the players as well. If we do it together that’s OK.”

It remains to be seen what the future holds for Uruguayan defender Sebastian Coates. He is due back to Liverpool after his season-long loan having only started five games for Sunderland so far.

He does not feel he has done himself justice because of a frustrating start to life in the North-East due to injury and is determined to prove his worth in the relegation run-in. His return to Merseyside could see him start for Sunderland in the absence of John O’Shea.

Coates said: “I have stepped in and I am trying my best. Every player has waited for an opportunity and you have to take it, to try to help the team. We are all focused on the last four games to keep Sunderland up.

“I do have something to prove. A player always needs to improve and for me it was a strange year. I got an injury when I arrived here, then I didn’t play too much but now I have a chance so I will try to do my best in these games.

“I hope I can show Sunderland fans what I am about. I will try to do my best. Not just for the fans but also for the team because we need the three points to stay up. I have not thought about next season. I want to focus on Sunderland.

“I don’t know what will happen. I have not spoken to Liverpool and I am focused on these four games. I don’t think too far in to the future. I will do my best if I get a chance in these four games with Sunderland and then after I have kept Sunderland up I will think about the future.”