Man Utd: Football Digest panel preview Southampton fixture
Donny van de Beek has had a tough start to life at Manchester United - but he’s now starting to come into his own. Fans are now demanding he be given his first Premier League start against Southampton on Sunday.
The Dutch midfielder was signed for a £40million fee from Ajax this summer but has found opportunities hard to come by with a wealth of options available to manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the middle of the park.
Yet Van de Beek grasped his chance with both hands as he impressed in their Champions League win over Istanbul Basaksehir at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.
Van de Beek’s performance left BT Sport pundits purring with Red Devils legend Rio Ferdinand leading praise for his display.
Van de Beek is pushing for a Man Utd star (Image: YouTube/ManUtd)
“Great night for Donny van de Beek - he’s waited a long time, big signing, £40m," Ferdinand said, whilst Owen Hargreaves branded his performance “almost perfect”.
Fresh off the back of his Champions League heroics, Van de Beek was back in training with his team-mates with the club sharing footage on their official YouTube channel.
The Dutchman again caught the eye during a rondo drill, with a no-look volley to guide the ball to Victor Lindelof as well as some exquisite touches, including a chest-down to Anthony Martial.
In response, United fans demanded to see him unleashed in the Premier League, with the top comment simply reading: “Start Van De Beek! So intelligent and efficient”.
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Van de Beek pulled off an impressive flick (Image: YouTube/ManUtd)
"Donny is getting used to how we want him to play. He can play in different positions," admitted the United boss afterwards.
Ferdinand also backed Van de Beek’s presence and “sacrifice” to help Bruno Fernandes continue to flourish.
”He’ll sacrifice parts of his game for other people to flourish, and that’s an important factor in any great team, you need players like that," he added.
"And he’s one player who I feel will make other players tick and perform better.
"I think Bruno was the main person today who benefited from him being in this team."