We live in a time where instant success is demanded in football, so it’s common to see rumours where a new signing may be written off just months after arriving.
It was never clear what the actual plan was for Donny van de Beek at Man United this season, and that may explain why he’s struggling to hold down a regular spot in the team.
The other problem with that is that he’s not getting the playing time he needs to adjust and settle into English football, but it would still be a huge surprise if United were to write him off so soon.
READ MORE: Man United star set for exit as club inform him they want to add a marquee signing in his position
He’s still seen by many as one of the brightest talents in Europe and there may be parallels with Memphis Depay if he leaves, so you could easily see him thriving somewhere else and making fans question the decision to let him go.
He has been linked with an exit and a report is now suggesting that United may think about letting him go in the summer, but that will only happen if Paul Pogba stays at the club:
On Donny van de Beek. United batted away enquiries in Jan & the player had little interest in hearing what suitors had to say. *IF* Pogba was to stay then there may be decisions to be made by #mufc/player but Van de Beek determined to fight for spot https://t.co/4hteSKk4Se
— James Ducker (@TelegraphDucker) April 2, 2021
You can see that Solskjaer doesn’t really trust the Dutchman just now so he’s unlikely to start any big games soon, but there will be a clear benefit to getting him into the side next season.
Bruno Fernandes is the only creative presence in there when Pogba is missing and a pairing from Matic/Fred/McTominay isn’t attacking enough when they play against teams who sit in, so van de Beek could be a gamechanger there.
He excels at making late runs into the box and providing the box-to-box presence that United need, so hopefully he does get a chance to stay and he does prove himself next year, but it will depend on Pogba and what he wants to do.
If United move on from van de Beek so quickly then questions do need to be asked about the reasons for signing him last summer and their general approach to transfers, so it’s more likely that he’ll get time to justify the transfer fee first.
I have watched every game Donny has played in for MUFC and I conclude the lads a Dud ! (maybe at Ajax he looked good)
Fred was rubbish for a whole season before he came good. He benefited from a run in the team and now he’s a consistent performer. How do you expect Donny to play well when he only plays once in a blue moon and always out of position? (FYI he’s a no. 8, whatever OGS seems to think)