The current Manchester United squad is very different from the one fans saw struggle last season under three different managers.
Locker room cliques and team disharmony are gone and the team is showing steely determination and slowly but surely showing the kind of form that can enable them to achieve their goals.
Although it is only the beginning, new coach Erik ten Hag is on the right track. The Dutchman has improved the club both on and off the pitch.
His tactical nous and man-management style have also put quite a few previously underperforming stars back on track.
ETH has transformed most aspects in United
But he’s no miracle worker and that can best be summed up by the fact that his presence has yet to bring out the best in his former protégé, Donny van de Beek.
A bona fide star at Ajax, the Dutch midfielder has never really impressed the Red Devils since his return in the summer of 2020.
After a few listless seasons under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick, a loan spell at Everton was bound to signal his return to form.
But that loan spell, too, fell through and just when it seemed his United career was coming to a halt, news broke of his former manager’s arrival at Old Trafford.
Mikael Silvestre: “Unfortunately, we haven’t seen many changes in Donny van de Beek. He didn’t get many opportunities to start. We haven’t been able to see the players we saw before at Ajax.” pic.twitter.com/G0KXzwIVar
– Manchester United World (@manutd_world) December 25, 2022
What was supposed to mark the beginning of his career renaissance ended up turning into a new nightmare and he shows no signs of abating.
The 25-year-old has made a Premier League start this season and even failed to impress during the Spanish friendly in which he featured.
Donny one of the biggest failures of ETH
Another mystery injury meant he was now unable to start against Burnley in the EFL Cup despite the obvious selection conundrums posed to Ten Hag due to the World Cup.
Yet another damning indictment of his time at the club and former United defender Mikel Silvestre feels the Red Devils should sell him if there is no “change” for the rest of this season.
“Unfortunately, we haven’t seen any change for Donny van de Beek,” Silvestre told bettingexpert.
“He hasn’t had many opportunities to start. We have not seen the player who was at Ajax. If he’s not within the next five to six months, until the end of the season, then there should be a trade.
“Yes, there are a lot of games coming up, so there will be a need for new players. We expect him to come off the bench and take advantage of the opportunities.
“It’s hard when you don’t have a streak of games. Let’s wait and see Donny van de Beek.”
Ten Hag had already indicated that there was no point in sending him back temporarily and that it could be the beginning of the end for Van de Beek at United.
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