Kuyt explains why Donny van de Beek is struggling at Manchester United

It is safe to say that Donny van de Beek’s move to Manchester United has not gone the way that he would have expected when he joined from Ajax in the summer.

The Dutch youngster became one of the most highly-rated midfielders in the world after a brilliant Champions League campaign with Ajax that saw them reach the semi-finals before being knocked out by Tottenham Hotspur in the dying minutes of the second leg.

As a result, when the Red Devils managed to sign him, there were very high expectations from the move. But till now, they have not been met.

Former Liverpool star Dirk Kuyt believes that that is down to his bad luck though as he is competing directly with Bruno Fernandes, who is one of the best players in the world right now. As a result, chances have been at a premium for the Dutchman. As reported by The Mirror, he said:

"“I think Donny has been very unfortunate because there are no better players than [Bruno] Fernandes in the world at the moment and he’s playing in his position.”"

He is hopeful though that ultimately his opportunities will come:

"“I think Donny van de Beek has shown in the Champions League last year how good of a player he is, so his time will come.”"

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Van de Beek has been unlucky since joining Manchester United

It is hard to argue with Kuyt here. Fernandes is indeed one of the best players in the world right now and not many would be able to take his place in the team based on current form.

Many would argue that Van de Beek was in fact signed with keeping next season in mind, when Paul Pogba is expected to leave the club. The Frenchman will have only one year left on his contract in the summer and thus, it will be the last opportunity for the Red Devils to get something out of his departure, with it looking unlikely that he will be extending his deal with the club.

Thus, it will probably be in 2021/2022, that we will see the Dutch midfielder get his chance to shine at Old Trafford.

He could have gotten a lot of minutes now as well, with Pogba out injured, but unfortunately, he picked an injury of his own.