Ten Hag demands more from Van De Beek or midfielder could face axe

Erik ten Hag will allow Donny van de Beek chances to prove himself in the Manchester United team but if he doesn’t take them, he will leave the club permanently. 

The 25-year-old has started three consecutive games for United in three separate competitions; Premier League, Carabao Cup and Europa League. His start against Real Sociedad last week was his first since December 2021.

Van de Beek has failed to make a statement in any of his appearances this season and if there was one manager who would be able to get the most out of him, it’s Ten Hag. The two lifted silverware and had an outstanding Champions League run together during their time at Ajax, where the midfielder worked his way through the academy before departing for the Reds in 2020.

Unfortunately for Van de Beek, it has never clicked for him in a United shirt. Whether it’s lack of playing time, lack of confidence or lack of ability – he has not overly impressed in his short cameos so far.

He completed a short loan spell at Everton last season but missed eight matches through injury and was benched for another two, meaning he made only seven appearances under Frank Lampard.

Ten Hag will give Van de Beek chances, but he has to perform

Ten Hag was asked about Van de Beek’s struggles in his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s clash with Fulham. He responded (via the Man Utd website): “Yeah, I see the opinion, but when I watched back the performance against [Real] Sociedad and also at Villa, he is in the positions that I expect no.10s to do and nowadays that tends [to be] really difficult to show themselves.

“If we have the romantic idea from the no.10 who is the playmaker, giving the final passes, if they have to play in the middle of the park that is really difficult there, because nowadays all the good teams close the middle of the park. So it is really difficult to get a lot of ball touches.

“That is not the player Donny van de Beek is, but what he is doing well is his positioning and his movements into space with strikers, especially with that no.9. That combination is really good, positioning and anticipation in and out of possession, and he did it to my satisfaction in the last games. But I have seen he is not on the scoring list, he is not on the assisting list, and he can do better.

“I think he’s still not there on his limits. I have seen him better in the past. But I think positioning-wise, he is acting quite well. But he has to make that step up.”

On the possibility of another loan move for the midfielder, he added: “I don’t think a loan [makes] sense. It’s either he fights [for] himself and proves himself, in this atmosphere in this environment, or he goes.

“But for me, there is still a way for him, there is still a perspective for him. It’s not going to be easy because the competition there is really strong.”

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