Donny van de Beek situation: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s promise, key issues and possible changes

Donny van de Beek came to Manchester United from Ajax in the summer with a stellar reputation and a price tag to match.

But the 23-year-old £ 40 million Dutch international has been restricted to just two starts, both in the League Cup, since his move at Old Trafford.

So far Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been unwilling to use it from the start in either the Premier League or the Champions League.

As such, Van de Beek has seen less than 90 minutes of action in those competitions, in five appearances, and was an unused substitute in the 0-0 draw with Chelsea this weekend.

Scott McTominay and Fred started in midfield, along with Bruno Fernandes, Dan James and Juan Mata against the Blues.

And after a passive and monotonous first half, when Solskjaer turned to his bench to change things, Van de Beek stayed in the stands.

The continued omission of the club’s biggest signing of the summer has become a major talking point in the early part of the season.

Mirror Football takes a look at the latest situation surrounding Van de Beek and what’s next …

So what happened?

The £ 40 million man simply cannot make the team.

He has started both League Cup outings, but saw the boring encounter with Chelsea from the bench.

At the end of September, his adviser, Ajax legend Sjaak Swart, spoke in the Netherlands and declared that he “didn’t like him at all” when asked about Van de Beek’s situation of being used simply as a reserve.

His agent, Guido Albers, responded quickly and said that Van de Beer had no problems and “is very happy at Manchester United”.

But now, a month later, Van de Beek still doesn’t appear regularly.

Speaking about the comments during the Chelsea draw, Gary Neville called Van de Beek’s absence and his use thus far “a bit mysterious.”

“He doesn’t seem to be at the forefront of Ole’s plans in every game,” Neville said.

“It’s a bit of a mystery that one. The more he doesn’t start, the more he doesn’t show up, well, a 40 million pound player, normally you put him on the team.

“You must be thinking, ‘What am I doing here?’ at this moment in time. “

What did Patrice Evra say?

Patrice Evra, who worked as an insider at Sky Sports on Saturday, was particularly frank about the last look at the midfielder.

The former France international, who has his heart on his sleeve when it comes to United, said: “We’re talking about Van de Beek… why did we buy him?

“I have nothing against the boy, but why did we buy Van de Beek?

“He is watching the game from the stands every game because we don’t need him. That’s the truth, but people won’t say it out loud. “

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, a former Dutch international, was working alongside Evra and agreed with the Frenchman’s statement.

“You are spot on. He is an offensive midfielder, his strength is to get into the area and reach the end of things and score goals or create like (Bruno) Fernandes.

“If he has to compete with Fernandes, he won’t play, right?”

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s promise

Solskjaer insists that it won’t be long before Van de Beek is at the center of the action and insists that it is part of his long-term plans.

“You will get your games, don’t worry about it,” he stated after the game.

“It’s easy to say who should play and harder to say who shouldn’t.”

But what he hasn’t mentioned is how he’s going to place him in a lineup where there doesn’t necessarily seem to be a place for him.

What role should Van de Beek play?

In an ideal world, Van de Beek would rather play as the most advanced of the three central midfielders, drifting between the lines and getting into the penalty area.

However, Bruno Fernandes has been and continues to be Solskjaer’s first-choice No. 10, and there’s no arguing that given how impressive he has been since arriving in January.

So the question is how do you fit him into the lineup? There is no question that he is versatile, and at Ajax he played throughout the midfield, whether sitting as No. 6, going from box to box or even occasionally slamming down the flanks.

Certainly United don’t want me to do the latter. But since they didn’t sign Jadon Sancho, is there scope to play Fernandes on the right or on the left, as he has done, albeit rarely, for Portugal, and have Van de Beek in central midfield with Pogba and someone holding up?

Potentially, you could pair Van de Beek and Pogba with Fernandes in front of them. But given the team’s defensive struggles this period, does that leave you too open?

Reversing to a three-man defense, as they did in the victory over PSG, also opens up other possibilities: you could potentially use Van de Beek and Fernandes as No. 10 twins behind a lone striker in a 3-4-2-1. , with Pogba in a central midfield duo, sacrificing neither breadth nor defensive stability.

So what’s next?

We wait and see how Solskjaer adapts things.

United are in the midst of a tight schedule following their return from the Champions League, with RB Leipzig at Old Trafford on Wednesday, and it will be interesting to see if Van de Beek starts against last season’s semi-finalists.

There will certainly be changes in the midfield, with Pogba set to return to the starting lineup.

But will the Dutchman be by his side? And if so, where will it line up?

Given that they will also face Arsenal next weekend, before another European clash the following Wednesday in Istanbul, a rotation is expected for the next 10 days.

If Van de Beek continues to miss out, questions about his signing and his prospects will only grow.

Sign up for the Mirror Football email here for the latest news and gossip.