Former Ajax coach explains why Donny Van de Beek’s Man Utd struggle was predictable

Former Ajax youth team coach Bryan Roy foresaw Donny van de Beek’s struggle at Manchester United due to the immense competition in his position.

Van de Beek’s lack of game time this season has been almost unexplainable; the midfielder has not settled into English football at all since arriving from the Eredivisie last summer.

The Dutch international arrived at Old Trafford with a superb reputation after his endeavours on the European stage for Ajax but his minutes have been extremely limited under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

He scored on his Premier League debut in the opening day defeat at home to Crystal Palace but has since just made two starts in the league.

Van de Beek’s opportunities have primarily come in the FA Cup but he failed to stake a claim for more regular first-team action with an uninspiring showing in the quarter-final defeat to Leicester before the international break.

In total, Van de Beek has started just 12 times for the Reds in this campaign but Roy insists that he cannot yet be defined as a failure at United.

“It was predictable, Manchester United is full of great players in his role,” he told TuttoJuve, as quoted by the MEN.

Either he plays, or Pogba plays, in fact Solskjaer thinks so too. Let’s not talk about disappointment or failure, there can be a year of apprenticeship for a young man like Donny.”

Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba remain Solskjaer’s preferred attacking midfield options and that has led to suggestions in some quarters that a move away from Old Trafford is already on the cards for Van de Beek.

Roy sees Serie A champions Juventus as an ideal fit for the 23-year-old but has urged for patience before judging him at United.

“Of course, I would see him well at Juve. He can play in any major European club, but he’ll just have to have a little patience. The right time will come.”

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