Donny van de Beek has admitted that he would liked to have played more for Manchester United this season after signing for the club in the summer.
The rising Dutch star arrived from Ajax for a fee of around £40million. His capture at Old Trafford was seen as something of a coup with Real Madrid also keen to land the 23-year-old.
In fact, La Liga giants had a deal in place with Van de Beek before being forced to pull out due to financial constraints.
But the playmaker’s time at United has so far been mixed. Van de Beek has yet to manage a start in the Premier League, clocking up just 74 minutes playing time from an available seven fixtures.
Two starts have come in the Champions League, however, with a further two arriving in the Carabao Cup.
(Image: Pool via REUTERS)
His lack of playing time has left pundits such as Patrice Evra questioning why he was brought in.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, though, has promised he will start more and more.
(Image: https://nos.nl/liveblog/2356188-oranje-na-sterke-tweede-helft-gelijk-tegen-spanje-finland-stunt-in-frankrijk.html)
Speaking after the Netherlands’ 1-1 draw with Spain, in which he scored, Van de Beek confessed he would like to be playing more for United.
“It sounds cliche for me to say this, because of course I would have liked to play more, but I really enjoy being in a nice team. I am simply received very well and helped by everyone,” he told NOS.
“I’m a patient person, but of course you go there to play as much as possible. I also think – in the minutes that I have made, in the times that I have come in – I have shown that I can add something to the team.”
Van de Beek’s quality is there for all to see but it’s now up to Solskjaer on how he manages to juggle Bruno Fernandes, Pogba and Van de Beek.
