Donny van de Beek arrived at Manchester United with a big reputation. He had played a starring role at Ajax, most notably during their run in the 2019 Champions League when they reached the semi-final.
At only 23-years old at the time of his arrival, there was a sense that he still had plenty of room to grow. As it turns out, the move to Old Trafford has proved a major stumbling block in this regard.
He seemed like an odd fit in the squad right from the off, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer not exactly short of attacking midfielders. It would always be difficult for the Dutchman to get any sort of run in the side considering the presence of both Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba.
Last season, he would make only four starts in the Premier League. Now, many in his homeland are questioning his quality.
As quoted by Voetbal Zone, Dutch legend Marco van Basten believes that van de Beek's lack of quality may have been exposed by his move to United.
It just wasn’t smart choices. If you say you spoke to Real Madrid and then you go to Manchester United, you are betting way too high.
Van de Beek is not that good. As number 10 at Ajax it is much easier than as number 10 in Spain or England.
In the Netherlands you get a lot of help, you get opportunities, but that is not the case abroad.
Still only 24-years old, van de Beek still has plenty of time to turn things around. However, it is looking increasingly likely that he will have to do so away from Old Trafford.
Despite this, the player's agent (Guido Albers) told Ziggo Sport that his client had been assured of more playing time during the coming months.
The way the conversation went this time [with Solskjær] compared to last summer... things are much more clear now. I have full expectations that Donny will get his chance now.
Donny worked extremely hard in the summer. He only had seven days off. The rest of the summer he trained to become top fit. He is totally ready.
It remains to be seen if that will be the case.
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