Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek has opened up on his difficult situation at the club but is hopeful that his time to shine will come.
Speaking to former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand on his FIVE Podcast (h/t Manchester Evening News), Donny van de Beek has shed some light on his unfavourable situation at Old Trafford.
The 24-year-old midfielder arrived at Manchester United in the summer transfer window last year from AFC Ajax. Hailed as a coup, van de Beek has been unable to showcase the same kind of form that made him a star at the Dutch outfit. Even though he featured in more than 30 games, the Netherlands international was largely used as a substitute and was sparingly used in the Premier League.
This led to concerns over his situation during the summer transfer window, with his agent admitting that a move to Premier League rivals Everton was on the cards after Cristiano Ronaldo’s signing. However, van de Beek’s move to the Toffees was blocked by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the midfielder now revealing that the Norwegian has informed him that he has a role to play.
“I speak with the manager about it and the club. They were clear they wanted me to stay here. The manager was really positive about me and he said; ‘I need you and I want to keep you here’. Of course, what I see here now in the beginning of the season is difficult, because I didn’t play one minute, but he said; ‘What I see every day in training, I see a different Donny now’,” van de Beek told Ferdinand.
“He was really positive about me and I’m feeling well. I’m in good shape so I hope that I can show the people that I improved a lot. He sees a big difference, that I’m a little bit stronger now. He can see that I now have one year experience here in England. If he sees me now and in the beginning, he sees a big difference.”
The Dutchman further opened up on his equation with Solskjaer, while also insisting that he was positive about his prospects for the new season, even though he is yet to make an appearance. “Yes. I need to trust him. If he doesn’t need me, I think he will let me go. I think he has plans with me. I just need to work hard and I hope I can show the people, one day, what I can do.
“You can never promise that [game time]. This is football and I think you can never promise a player if he will play – or not. You can train every day hard, but in the end you need game time to show your best shape. If you play once in a month or anything, you cannot show your best,” he added.
