So much has to be taken into account when it comes to recruitment in football, but simply signing a talented player because they are highly rated doesn’t always end well.
As soon as Donny van de Beek joined Man United there was plenty of speculation over how he might fit in, but it was widely presumed that the club had a plan and it was always going to be interesting to see how he was deployed.
It now looks like he was a panic move to sign an available player in a transfer window where they couldn’t get anything over the line, and the Dutch midfielder has slowly lost all confidence as he’s given cameos here and there but little more.
It’s now reached a point where it might be best for everyone to part ways, and former United star Dimitar Berbatov hinted at that outcome in some recent comments to Betfair:
“Van de Beek looks lost. He is running out of time to save his United career. He started against Young Boys but was substituted at half-time. This has been the story of his time at the club.
“It’s just not working out for Van de Beek. It’s a pity because United paid big money for him. But this is what happens when you spend money just to satisfy your fans.
“I still hope he gets a proper chance but it is going to be very difficult for him and the club may decide to cut their losses, if they can.”
Perhaps he was seen as a possible contender to replace Paul Pogba if he left but that didn’t happen, while his willingness to drive forward and score goals is also matched by Bruno Fernandes, and Solskjaer is never going to move the Portuguese star around to accommodate van de Beek.
Perhaps a loan move might be the best thing to see if he can recover his confidence and at least it might boost his market value, but it’s hard to see him establishing himself at United just now.
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