Revealed: Ten Hag's plan for Van de Beek at Man Utd
Stuart Telford
- 14 Jul 2022 12:12 BST
- 3 min read
Donny van de Beek's Manchester United future might not look so bleak after all now he has been reunited with former Ajax coach Erik ten Hag.
Big things were expected from Van de Been after he completed a €47 million move from Ajax to Manchester United in 2020, but he has endured a difficult two seasons in England.
Midfield minefield
Only four of his 19 Premier League appearances were starts in his first season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and with his path to the first team blocked by Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes, Scott McTominay, Fred and Nemanja Matic, he left on loan for Everton in January.
His spell at Goodison Park didn't go to plan either, with injury restricting the Dutch international to just five league starts, and his United career looked to be over.
Donny van de Beek under Erik ten Hag:
👕 Appearances - 110
⚽ Goals - 32
👟 Assists - 29
Revival? #MUFC pic.twitter.com/4XS9zLCAjl— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) April 29, 2022
However, Van de Beek's former mentor Ten Hag has since been appointed as manager at Old Trafford, and Van de Beek might have a second chance - even if he failed to start the Red Devils' 4-0 win over Liverpool in pre-season.
"He can do both [sit deep and play high] - I know that from the past," Ten Hag explained at his pre-match conference ahead of United's next game, against Melbourne Victory.
But his best position is his capabilities in the box of the opponent, so playing short behind the striker [is his best role]. He has a really good smell for being in the right position."
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Van de Beek could be used as a No.10, then. Fernandes certainly provides stiff competition in the role, but Van de Beek won the Dutch domestic treble under Ten Hag in 2019 and contributed 10 goals and 11 assists in his final season at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
With an average of three successful tackles per game last season, even accounting for the small sample size, Van de Beek could clearly be an option further back as well, especially with Pogba and Matic now with Juventus and Roma respectively.
