In what has been the bargain of the summer so far, Manchester United have signed one of the best young midfielders in Europe, Donny Van de Beek for £39 million. Compare that figure with the amount of money splashed around by clubs these days, and it is an absolute steal, given the quality of the player United is getting.
Van de Beek’s game
Donny Van de Beek is a natural number 10, to put it simply. However, he does like to roam around the right flank as well. While most number 10s are associated with creating chances on a regular basis, Van De Beek does not quite fit that bill. He likes to receive the ball in the opposition box and take his chances from a central position.
But that is not to say he doesn’t create chances. It’s a matter of quality over quantity when it comes to chances created by Van de Beek. He does cross from the edge of the penalty box into the six-yard box but often depends on other players to feed him the line breaking passes. His natural tendency is to be in the right place at the right time, to sum it up in one good line.
He can play as a number 6 but is traditionally an attack-minded player. He has been deployed all across a front three, and his natural midfield setting during his time at Ajax. He engages in defensive tackles a lot, which is something that will set him apart from the other options in midfield at the Old Trafford.
How he fits in the United midfield
If he were to compete for the number 10 role, he would certainly fall behind Bruno Fernandes. However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has talked about the idea of playing a midfield three of Pogba, Fernandes and their new boy. Van de Beek would have to focus on the defensive aspect of his game a lot if he were to fit in the line-up proposed by his new manager.
The reason being an overwhelming amount of playmakers, with little to no defensive cover to shield the backline.
This is why Ole should start either one of McTominay, Fred, or Matic to provide some defensive cover alongside a midfield of either two of their three quality options in creative midfield.
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