Donny van de Beek still holds the potential to be one of the best midfielders in the league. During his time at Ajax, Donny pushed through the ranks and established himself amongst the top dogs in the Netherlands. The magical Champions League run Ajax went on with Donny led the football world to wonder when DVB would become a big name in a top league.
However, Manchester United signed van de Beek out of desperation. There are some rumors that Ole did not even approve the deal before it went through. Now he continues to sit on the bench waiting for an opportunity that may never come. Maybe it’s a bit harsh to cast this much doubt on his United career. Yet, it appears that there are only a few outcomes for him and those are all below.
Seal a Move Away
Donny van de Beek is too good for the bench. While he hasn’t had consistent game time in one of Europe’s top 5 leagues, he has proven himself in the Champions League. At 24 Donny should be getting more minutes entering into the peak of his career. Yet there’s a slight issue of Bruno Fernades. Obviously, Bruno is the top dog and Donny won’t be taking his spot anytime soon, but Donny should get rotational minutes with him. During the match against Southampton, Donny could have easily slid in for a struggling Fred or tired Matic. Given that Jesse Lingard got the notion to get off the bench before Donny this season, van de Beek is right to worry about his time at United.
The best deal for United would be a loan for van de Beek. Similar to Jesse last year at West Ham, van de Beek could hone himself while away from Old Trafford. There’d be other options like AC Milan who need a creative player like Donny for linkup play after they lost Hakan Çalhanoğlu to their rivals Inter. After a successful loan spell, Donny would return to the United squad to regularly contribute.
There’s another option too; to sell him. It hurts me to say it but things haven’t gone well and Donny deserves his chance to work himself into a squad. Right now United cannot be that squad. He would be hard to sell given his likely high wages and the fact United would want to sell him for more than he was bought for. However, a deal could be worked out, but it doesn’t look pretty and it really isn’t the best choice for Donny.
Try Him Out of Position
The good news for Donny is that he is a workhorse. His time at Ajax brought strong leadership qualities and a will to win. His best option for his career to improve right now is to become diverse. Ole requires a creative midfielder to play in his pivot and if no one else signs, Donny deserves that chance.
Over the summer Donny bulked up. Reports claim he is ready for the physicality of the Premier League. So it is time to put that work to the test. With Pogba out wide replacing Rashford on the wing, someone needs to break up the McFred pivot. Donny would slide in easily with Fred or Matic. Pushing him with Mctominay is a risk due to the fact they both play a box-to-box style. United has a need and Donny fills it. While he may not be a permanent solution, van de Beek is just the man to offer a bit of change in United’s midfield pivot.
Wait for his Chance
Lastly, Donny could wait for an unforeseen opportunity. Pogba leaving in the summer or injuries to some other player that van de Beek can fill in for. Admittedly, I don’t love the thought of van de Beek just waiting. Surely, Daniel James or the now-on loan Brandon Williams should be okay waiting for their best chance to contribute, but not van de Beek! A Champions-League-proven player like Donny should be getting more time than he is. Whether he stays or goes, he needs those chances.
Ultimately, we all just want to see both United and Donny succeed. Why can’t we see both happen at the same time? van de Beek still holds an opportunity to be really good for United. However, if he doesn’t make the grade we should find somewhere else for him to be to free up some financial space and stop him from rotting away on the bench.
GGMU. Written by CJ Szaz.
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