Donny van de Beek’s time will come for Manchester United
When Donny van de Beek was signed from Ajax for £35 million last summer, Manchester United fans were excited to see what the Dutchman would bring to the club.
A highly versatile midfielder, Van de Beek has played as a number six, eight and 10 in midfield, becoming the catalyst at Ajax in transitioning from defence into attack.
However, it hasn’t been plain sailing for the Dutchman, having only played 249 minutes of Premier League football since arriving.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made it clear to van de Beek that it would take a season to adjust and adapt to England, as well as Manchester United, who are now in excellent form. It makes sense that the Norwegian is using players that he knows and trusts in certain games – which makes it all the more difficult for the Holland international to break through to Manchester United's starting XI.
Donny van de Beek definitely has the talent to succeed at Manchester United
There is absolutely no doubt nor question raised over his talent - it is largely just about timing and when the opportunity presents itself to receive an extended run in the team.
In the Europa League and FA Cup, Van de Beek is likely to be given a main role throughout, with his performances so far showing why he is considered a technically excellent footballer.
His one-touch passing and sensational interpretation of creating space in behind the opposition’s defence is truly mesmerising. Van de Beek finds himself in a similar position to Alex Telles, the Red Devils’ new left back signed from FC Porto.
Since the Brazilian’s arrival, Luke Shaw’s output and defensive reliability has skyrocketed. The added competition has caused Shaw to kick into gear and deliver back-to-back man of the match performances.
Again, when Telles has stepped foot onto the pitch, he has delivered a good account of himself and not given any doubt as to whether he can make a positive impact for Manchester United.
Squad depth and, more importantly, quality of that depth, has been missing from the Red Devils since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. While there have been some exceptionally talented players throughout those intermittent years, the lack of players within the ranks to come on and keep standards high has be prevalent.
For the first time, Solskjaer has the ability to bring numbers in and players that want to actually fight for their shirt. Edinson Cavani, likewise, had time on the bench to show that he was ready to come in and make a difference, which he has now done so in a variety of different matches.
Van de Beek will become an undisputed starter at some point under Solskjaer, but for now, his performances off the bench have to continue at the same level in order to be recognised.
Also read: Manchester United must take it one game at a time