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Solskjaer backs struggling £40m Man United star to become an important player

Erik ten Hag deems former Ajax star Donny van de Beek 'surplus to requirements' at Manchester United.
Erik ten Hag deems former Ajax star Donny van de Beek 'surplus to requirements' at Manchester United.

Solskjaer believes Donny van de Beek can get his Manchester United career back on track

Speaking in an interview (h/t Daily Mail), Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said that he believes Donny van de Beek can emulate Fred and Victor Lindelof to get his Manchester United career up and running.

He believes that the Dutchman can become an important part of the squad, even if it takes one more season. Van de Beek has made just 8 starts this season for United.

This has led to many questioning if the club were right to spend £40million on him instead of investing in other players such as Jadon Sancho or Jack Grealish.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer trusts Donny van de Beek to get better.
Van de Beek has struggled for minutes since joining United.

However, the Norwegian is not losing his trust in the 23-year-old so quickly. He says that people are quick to call players ‘failures’.

Calling for patience

Using Swedish defender Victor Lindelof and Brazilian midfielder Fred as examples, both of whom had tough starts to their United career, Solskjaer says that van de Beek can take a similar path to the first team.

“With Victor and Fred as examples, it takes a little bit of time and now they are massively important players in our squad, which will be the same with Donny.”

The United manager also highlights that there is incredible competition in midfield. He says that Van de Beek has to compete with players such as Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, and Bruno Fernandes for starts. (h/t Daily Mail)

Donny van de Beek has been backed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Donny van de Beek in training for Manchester United.

However, Solskjaer mentions that the former Ajax man has a positive attitude in training. He puts his faith in him to get even better in the coming years and also highlights that the midfielder has a role to play this season.

“He’s positive and he will make differences in many games for us this season. He will grow more and more for next year.”

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Written by Aniket Rai

An ordinary football fan, doing what he loves.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in a press conference as Manchester United manager. (GETTY Images)

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