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Manchester United have an embarrassment of riches in central midfield following the signing of Donny van de Beek.
However, the situation in the center of the park was not so promising last summer.
Sky Sports reported in July 2019 that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s engine room’s preferred target was Newcastle United’s Sean Longstaff.
Longstaff only had nine Premier League appearances to his name at the time and his 2018/19 season was cut short by a knee ligament injury.
However, that had not deterred Solskjaer. It was only the £ 50 million asking price reported by Newcastle that caused United’s interest to cool.
14 months later, United has a much more exciting new recruit in the middle of the park.
There is no comparison
Van de Beek is only six months older than Longstaff, but he has accomplished much, much more in the game.
They stand out 10 international matches for the Netherlands and play in a semi-final of the Champions League, while van de Beek also has an Eredivisie medal on the bench.
Look at the stats above. Van de Beek is a trusted and experienced goal creator and scorer with a background in the Champions League and in Europe.
It will only get better at Old Trafford.
Furthermore, the reported fee of £ 35 million (BBC) is far more reasonable than the £ 50 million Newcastle wanted for Longstaff last summer.
Longstaff has stalled
Last summer, Longstaff was untested and injured, with very legitimate doubts as to whether he was suitable for United.
In 2019/20, it fell back from there.
He scored just twice in 29 appearances last time out, failing to make a regular spot in a Newcastle midfield that isn’t exactly full of star quality.
Longstaff may still become a good Premier League player, but he wouldn’t have been a fit for United last summer or this one.
In some ways, that excellent Newcastle asking price was a blessing in disguise.
United went ahead and signed a far superior player, who has thrilled the fan base.
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