Donny van de Beek has revealed his thoughts on Manchester United’s new signings.
The Dutch midfielder, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Everton, flourished under Erik ten Hag at Ajax before moving to England.
Although much was expected of the versatile player who had caught the eye of Real Madrid, the £35m man has struggled to establish himself in the United squad.
Training under four different managers [including Michael Carrick’s brief spell as caretaker]Van de Beek has been consistently overlooked for a prominent midfield role in favor of Bruno Fernandes, Fred and Scott McTominay.
With United signing two world-class midfielders in Christian Eriksen and Casemiro this summer, their chances of success now may be even slimmer.
Van de Beek spoke to the club’s in-house magazine United Review about the new signings, saying:
“I already know them, as a player.
“Some of [them] I played against – I played against Christian [Eriksen], against Casemiro too, with Ajax. licha [Lisandro Martínez]I played together with him.
“So, I know what they are capable of and they are very good players, so for sure they will help us.
“They are good people, but they are also team players. I think this is important. As people they fit in very well with the players we have”.
Van de Beek highlights the ‘strong-minded profile’ that had been neglected at United and therefore sought after by ten Hag.
Also, his relationship with Martinez may help the Argentine international integrate more easily into the locker room.
What Van de Beek does refer to are the abilities of Eriksen and Casemiro, two players who have made professional life more difficult for the Dutchman.
Although he appears fairly tame and neutral in this interview, you’d expect Van de Beek to need to ramp up his competitive drive significantly to displace Eriksen, McTominay and Fernandes from the starting lineup. That doesn’t even include the gargantuan barrier from Casemiro, who has yet to make his full Premier League debut.
These next four months (until the January transfer window) are vital to Van de Beek’s career at United. Playing under the tutelage of a family coach, he must strive to become one of these “really good team players”.
