Erik ten Hag willing to give forgotten Man Utd star a second chance if appointed

Erik ten Hag sees Donny van de Beek as part of his plans if he’s appointed as the new Manchester United boss, according to reports.

The Dutchman is understood to have seen off competition from Mauricio Pochettino to replace Ralf Rangnick in the summer with the club now working to finalise his exit from Ajax.

Ten Hag will arrive at Old Trafford with plenty of ideas when it comes to strengthening his squad and already reportedly has his sights set on Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves.

According to The Sun, he’s also prepared to give forgotten man Van de Beek a second chance.

The midfielder, who joined Everton on loan in January, spent three years under Ten Hag at Ajax and struck up a close relationship, winning the 2018/19 Eredivisie title together.

Van de Beek will return to Old Trafford in the summer, but under Rangnick and previously Ole Gunnar Solskjaer he’s failed to find a way into either’s plans.

But Ten Hag still holds the 24-year-old midfielder in high regard and would be keen to bring him out of the cold and give him a real chance to shine.

United have also been linked with central midfielders including West Ham’s Declan Rice and Leeds star Kalvin Phillips.

Chelsea legend Joe Cole has pinpointed a potential problem when it comes to transfer plans this summer though with Rangnick, who will move into a consultancy role at the club at the end of the season, having different ideas to Ten Hag.

‘You need time, you won’t get it. You need patience from the fans, you won’t get it,’ the former Chelsea star said on BT Sport.

‘We look at Ralf Rangnick, go backwards three months when he came in and we talk about this great pressing team, they play this type of football.

‘And then what does Ten Hag’s team play? They play slow,