Erik ten Hag is keen to work with Donny van de Beek again, the Dutchman admitted.
Manchester United will look completely different in a few short months. The squad, staff, and style will be fresh come August.
Erik ten Hag is now here. The Dutchman has already had his official unveiling, with the former Ajax boss showing a genuine willingness to get stuck into this big job as soon as possible. Straight away, that gives us fans a positive impression of our new manager.
As you’d expect, the media got straight into asking the difficult questions about individual players. One name who was bound to pop up is Donny van de Beek.
The midfielder spent the second half of last season on loan at Everton following some serious struggles here in Manchester. Van de Beek would improve a little at Goodison Park, though injuries derailed his return to full confidnece.
Having worked with Ten Hag previously, the vast majority believe it’s a given that Van de Beek is amongst the first names on the team sheet for the Old Trafford club next season.
Well, as you’d expect, Ten Hag named Van de Beek as one United star he’s ‘looking forward’ to working with once again.
Here’s what the gaffer told the media on Van de Beek, including ManUtd.com:
“Yes, of course, we had a fantastic squad in that time in Ajax.” Ten Hag responded, when asked about connecting with Van de Beek again.
“I really had a good relationship with him and, of course, I’m looking forward to meeting him again on the pitch.”
I’m a big believer in surrounding yourself with familiarity when doing something new. Ten Hag has never worked in this country before, hence why he’s brought Steve McClaren with him. In similar fashion, having Van de Beek there is another small confidence booster for United’s new manager.
Ten Hag knows Donny’s game inside-out. He’ll know exactly how best to utilise the midfielder from day one and that’s definitely an early advantage.
Sure, Van de Beek didn’t quite work well in either Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Ralf Rangnick’s system. Though the #34 played the best football of his career under United’s new manager. That’s simply not just a coincidence.
You also have to view the departures of Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic as a positive for Van de Beek. His main problem was breaking into the starting line-up due to stiff competition around him. This absolutely stands the 25-year-old in better stead.
I’d fully imagine we’ll see an awful lot of Van de Beek on pre-season tour and if he impresses, there’s every chance he starts in our Premier League opener come August.
Do you think Donny van de Beek can revive his Man United career under Ten Hag? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.
Be the first to comment