Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag snubbing Donny van de Beek is “a bit of a surprise”, says journalist Pete O’Rourke. The two worked with each other at Ajax, but that has done nothing for the Dutch midfielder, who has constantly been overlooked at Old Trafford this season.
So far, Van de Beek has played just three matches, and none of those were starts. The above, however, is nothing new for the 25-year-old, who has struggled to win a place in United’s first XI since the moment he joined the Red Devils.
Following his £40m move from Ajax back in 2020, Van de Beek has made just four starts in the Premier League. Ultimately, for whatever reason, he has just not been able to win over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the man who brought him to the club, Ralf Rangnick or Ten Hag.
Given that they know each other from Ajax, O’Rourke is surprised Van de Beek has not been given many opportunities under Ten Hag.