Should Donny van de Beek quit Manchester United? Calls mount for star to leave Old Trafford
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Updated 08/01/2021 at 12:15 GMT
Dutch star Donny van de Beek is already being widely linked with a move away from Manchester United having been sidelined for much of his time so far in the Premier League. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has shown a strange reluctance to play the midfielder, so should he already be looking to find another move?
Donny van de Beek of Manchester United in action during a first team training session
Image credit: Getty Images
Should Donny van de Beek call time on his strange stint at Manchester United after not being given much of a chance to shine at Old Trafford so far? A number of big names in football now believe he should.
There have already been calls for the midfielder to call it quits and move on from his inauspicious spell in Manchester, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seemingly not particularly keen to involve him.
The former Ajax star joined the Red Devils in the summer transfer window, in a deal worth £35 million, but he then had to wait until late November to make his first league start.
In what is an increasingly perplexing situation, Van de Beek recently played no football over the Christmas and New Year period, and he again only emerged from the bench for the final two minutes of United's 2-0 defeat to rivals Manchester City in the League Cup semi-finals.
One of Sir Alex Ferguson's coaches at Old Trafford, Rene Meulensteen, has admitted that he and many of his compatriots are baffled by Solskjaer's reluctance to play the 23-year-old.
"I don't think it's about [just] the treatment - it's part and parcel of being a professional footballer - especially when you move clubs," Meulensteen told
.
I think why people in Holland are baffled is that Donny van de Beek - you can ask anyone in Holland - is a very, very good player.
"He had a similar impact for Ajax in the time that Bruno Fernandes has for Man United now. It really surprises me that we haven't seen him more often and to have more starts."
Meulensteen's views have come after another former United coach, Louis van Gaal, said it was a "big mistake" for the player to join United in the first place, as we covered in Euro Papers, which you can watch below.
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Van Gaal urges Van de Beek to leave United - Euro Papers
De Boer urges VDB to leave
Dutch legend Ronald De Boer has also weighed in, and urged the midfielder to have a view on the Euros in order to have a starring role for the Netherlands, and to seek playing time elsewhere.
"The European Championship is coming, he will undoubtedly want to be there. Maybe it would be good for him to discuss with the club exactly what they want with him," he told Dutch news outlet AD.
If the view on playing time does not improve, he may have to declare that he should be loaned or even sold.
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'Not a mental issue' - Solskjaer laments Man Utd's League Cup exit to City
Berbatov 'wouldn't be surprised' if he leaves
Former United striker Dimitar Berbatov has also spoken out on behalf of the midfielder, expressing his bewilderment at his lack of opportunities in Manchester.
"I don't know what is going on with Donny van de Beek," he told Betfair. "I said before he signed that I like him as a player, he was great for Ajax and his national team, but now he can't get a game at United.
"I don't watch the training sessions and the little time he does get on the pitch isn't enough to judge him. He needs a run of games in a row to give him confidence. I can see that his confidence isn't high at the moment, and that's normal because when you don't play you start punishing yourself and ask questions of yourself.
I wouldn't be surprised if he is starting to look for the exit and nobody will blame him. Something isn't working.
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Donny van de Beek
Image credit: Getty Images
So where now for Van de Beek?
When Van de Beek joined United it was reportedly a head-to-head between the club and Real Madrid, who were also apparently very keen to acquire the star's services.
Zinedine Zidane was understood to be a big admirer of the Dutchman when he was being linked with a move to the Bernabeu, so that could well be a potential destination.
Le10Sport reported at the time that Zidane had personally phoned Van de Beek to inform him of his plans to fit him into his midfield - something Solskjaer has not seemed able to accomplish thus far.
With United having just signed Amad Diallo and with the club heavily linked with the 'next Cristiano Ronaldo', Pedro 'Peto' Goncalves from Sporting Lisbon, Van de Beek's prospects do not look at all good at Old Trafford.
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United prepare move for 'next Ronaldo' at Sporting - Euro Papers
Madrid appears to be the most likely option for the 23-year-old given that a return to Ajax is now particularly improbable after his former club splashed out £20.3 million to sign Sebastien Haller from West Ham.
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