Donny van de Beek did not enjoy a great debut campaign at Manchester United, after spending a lot of time on the bench last season.
The Dutchman, who was signed from Ajax last summer, arrived at Old Trafford with a lot of expectations surrounding him, as he was seen as someone who could be the future of the club’s midfield.
However, things have not gone as many would have expected, as the 24-year-old has failed to establish himself in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first-team plans. The former Ajax midfielder was even linked with a move away from the club this summer, but has ended up remaining at Old Trafford.
While speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s Vibe With FIVE and as reported by GOAL, Van de Beek shed some light on his talk with Solskjaer regarding his situation at the club:
"“I spoke with the manager about it (the interest from Everton) and the club. They were clear they wanted me to stay here.“The manager was really positive about me and he said: ‘I need you and I want to keep you here’.“Of course, what I see here now in the beginning of the season is difficult, because I didn’t play one minute, but he said; ‘What I see every day in training, I see a different Donny now’.“He was really positive about me and I’m feeling well. I’m in good shape so I hope that I can show the people that I improved a lot.“He sees a big difference, that I’m a little bit stronger now. He can see that I now have one-year of experience here in England. If he sees me now [compared to] the beginning, he sees a big difference.”"
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Van de Beek needs to make his mark at Manchester United this season
It is safe to say that at the top of his game, Van de Beek is a brilliant player. He has shown that during his time at Ajax at both domestic and European level, and has made several appearances for the Netherlands national team as well.
But he has not been at his best ever since moving to Manchester United. Of course, it was his first season in English football and it is not uncommon for even top players to take some time to adjust to the Premier League.
It will be interesting to see whether the Dutchman receives more playing time at the club this season. The squad depth at Old Trafford right now is incredible and competition is very high for places. Thus, if Van de Beek is to make his mark at the Theatre of Dreams, he will have to make the best of any opportunity he gets moving forward.