Paul Merson Believes Donny Van De Beek Is A 'Panic Buy' For Manchester United

Having completed a £39m deal for Donny van de Beek this week, even the most passionate hater of Ed Woodward's transfer dealings would agree that the move is a solid piece of business by United.

At the age of just 23, it's very likely that the Dutch midfielder will improve his game at Old Trafford and even if he doesn't, due to his young age, United can still recoup a fair chunk of the fee if they sell him on.

The signing of the versatile midfielder will also strengthen Solskajer's options in the middle of the park. Granted, he already has Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes to call upon, but Van de Beek should be a significant upgrade on the likes of Scott McTominay, Juan Mata, Fred, and Jesse Lingard.

Aside from this, the former Ajax man's ability to play both as a number 8 and as a number 10 should see him fill in for both Pogba and Fernandes should they need a rest - which they will given the hectic schedule of the 2020/21 season.

However, in his most recent column for The Daily Star, Paul Merson doesn't believe that any of these aforementioned points are valid.

"Donny Van de Beek looks like a panic buy at Manchester United. I don’t get it. They just spent £40m on a position where they are already strong. And how does he play with Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes?," he said.

Ok, let's question the logic here.

Who thinks that a team's chances of success are better by having three excellent midfielders to choose from, rather than just two?

Merson then questioned the club's transfer policy and wondered if the signing of Van De Beek was just a random decision with no scouting done at all.

"You have to have someone who can play the holding role. That signing looked to me like: ‘Oh we haven’t bought anyone yet, let’s go and buy someone, who can we get?’ When you look at their midfield, Fred was improving, and they’ve got Scott McTominay. Now they won’t get a game.

And they just gave Nemanja Matic a new contract. Would they have done that if they knew they were getting Van de Beek? It makes no sense to me. Who is making these decisions? It’s like them going for Jadon Sancho. If they sign Sancho, Greenwood doesn’t play. For me they need another centre back."