One of the biggest wastes of talent in Manchester United history, Donny Van de Beek has been shockingly underused, under-appreciated and disrespected during his time at Old Trafford. Signing for £35 million + add ons in the summer of 2020, Van de Beek has made just 40 appearances in Red since his move from Ajax, the majority of which have been substitute appearances. This season, Van de Beek has made a single appearance of just six minutes in the league.
The damning scene of the Dutchman throwing his chewing gum on the ground next to assistant coach, Mike Phelan after he was an unused sub against Villareal proves just how frustrated Van de Beek is at United. For his own career, it’s time for Van de Beek to move on, make something of his career and make sure that his talent doesn’t go to waste. He’s already been dropped from the Dutch national squad, despite previously making 19 appearances and more time sitting on the Old Trafford bench isn’t going to help.
Van de Beek’s United Stats
Joining in the summer of 2020, Van de Beek came into United with a lot of hype. Making 37 appearances for Ajax, the Dutch international helped them on their way to a league title the season prior to arriving in Manchester. Rumours of Barcelona and Tottenham as well as a large interest from Real Madrid gave weight to just how good Van de Beek was playing. The season before his final season in Holland, Van de Beek played a vital role in Ajax’s Champions League semi-final run, again, proving just what a high-level Van de Beek can compete at.
With that being said, he’s seldom been used at Manchester United. He managed just four starts in the Premier League last season and just 524 minutes all season. That equates to just under six, 90 minutes. With a single goal (which came on the opening day of the season) and a single assist (coming in April), his stats don’t tell the whole picture.
He hasn’t been given the opportunity in an area that Manchester United really struggle in. His intelligence in comparison to Fred and Scott McTominay is clear, he has played consistently at a higher level than both. His experience growing up in the Ajax system means that he is able to play between the lines, using quick, one-touch football and is able to play progressive football. This is arguably why he struggled in the current Manchester United system, as they play pragmatic, negative, safe football. McTominay and Fred are good for the current system, but with the inclusion of Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad, Manchester United can no longer play negative football. They must play on the front foot, where Van de Beek would shine if given the opportunity.
With an 84.2% pass completion, including a 758-yard distance of progressive passes, Donny can easily play in Manchester United’s team as his 89.4% short passing and 92.2% medium-range passing would suit the way the team should play now with Ronaldo in the squad. With talents such as Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba, Mason Greenwood, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford also on the pitch, there is little to no point in hitting long balls. The team need to get the ball down, get it into the feet of the players who can play with the ball at their feet and look to dominate teams with good passing blueprints. Donny would fit this mould perfectly.
What’s his best position?
During a recent international break, Van de Beek and his agent spoke to the media and stated that he could play as either a 6, 8 or 10. For Manchester United, he’s played 13 times as an attacking midfielder and 16 times as a box to box midfielder. Unfortunately for Van de Beek, he’s never replacing Bruno Fernandes at number 10. With an unbelievable 78 goal contributions in 95 games (in all competitions), Bruno is undroppable, not helping Donny Van de Beek’s situation. The Dutchman played 90 times in the central midfield and 16 times as a more traditional defensive midfielder when at Ajax, proving that he can certainly play further back. Over the summer he concentrated on putting on a lot of muscle in order to perform better as a defensive-minded midfielder. We know Leon Goretzka at Bayern Munich bulked up considerably over the COVID-19 lockdown period and has performed at a very high level since. Van de Beek looked to be taking a page out of the German’s book, however, he hasn’t been given the chance this season to show his improvements.
Last season in just 5.8 90 minutes, he recovered 44 loose balls, made seven interceptions and nine tackles. These numbers alone prove that he can effectively play as a defensive-minded midfielder, arguably solving Manchester United’s midfield issue. If Nemanja Matic could play more regularly, it would allow a partnership between himself and Van de Beek to flourish, thus pushing the Dutchman into a number 8 role rather than a number 6 and taking some of the defensive pressure off him. With either Fred or Mctominay next to him, however, he won’t be given the freedom of a box-to-box role as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will instruct him to stay deeper, protect the defence and leave the attacking to others. It’s time for the Dutchman to move on from Manchester United and attempt to reignite his career elsewhere.
Where could he go?
As a result of both his skill, age and pre-United reputation, there are a number of clubs that would be interested. We know that he had a move from Everton blocked by Solskjaer in the summer and there is no reason why Everton wouldn’t be willing to attempt to re-sign the Dutchman. Rumours have also circulated that, following their recent takeover, Newcastle could be interested in acquiring Van de Beek’s services. The problem with both Everton and Newcastle, however, is that they are both in the Premier League. The chances of Manchester United selling Donny to a fellow English club are slim. If he performs well, it’ll show a weakness, poor decision making and further highlight that he really could have made it at Manchester United.
Real Madrid were also interested in signing him in the summer of 2019, however, having signed Camivinga, their interest will likely have waivered. Inter Milan are also rumoured to be interested in Van de Beek.
The difficult thing for Donny Van de Beek is that, with it appearing that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign at Manchester United is all but over, should the Dutchman stick around and see if he can get minutes under a new manager? He’d fit into a 5-3-2 system of Antonio Conte, the man who many thought would take over at Old Trafford. If another manager takes the reigns, it’s unclear as to whether they would favour Donny Van de Beek or not, however, if Solskjaer departs, there may be an opportunity for the Dutchman at Old Trafford after all.
Comentarios