FA Cup final: Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes criticise Memphis Depay for Wembley no-show after being left out

Depay decided not to travel to Wembley Stadium after being told he had been left out of the squad

Memphis Depay did not travel to Wembley Stadium for the FA Cup final (Getty)

Former Manchester United players Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes have hit out at Memphis Depay after the winger decided not to join his team-mates in travelling to the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium, having been left out of the matchday squad by manager Louis van Gaal.

United face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final with both teams looking to end a disappointing season on a high, given United missed out on Champions League qualification and Palace won just two Premier League matches in 2016.

Reports emerged on Friday that Depay had been told by Van Gaal that he would not be selected in the 18-man squad for the final, and he was said to have reacted angrily before deciding against joining the rest of the team on the coach to London where they stayed overnight.

Both Ferdinand and Scholes – who were pitch-side as part of BT Sport’s live coverage of the match – criticised Depay, with the former admitting that it “doesn’t send out a positive message” to the club ahead of their transfer plans for the summer.

“You’d have thought he’d got on the bus to get here, just to have the experience to come here and see what it’s like,” said Ferdinand. “It’s a great occasion and to do it, so kind of raw, for the future it doesn’t seem great.

“It’s a squad, you’ve got to keep the squad happy and in tune because next season he’s going to want to be here and be part of it. This doesn’t send out a real positive message at all really.”

Scholes added: “I don’t think there’s any need to name a squad of 18 for a cup final. Anybody who’s in the dressing room should just come and, ok, you might have to be disappointed an hour-and-a-half before kick-off if you’re a sub and fair enough, but you still make it part of the day and part of the weekend.”