Pranav Nair
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appears to have shed light on the future of Manchester United star Donny van de Beek
According to the Mirror, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has set tongues wagging with his gesture to Dutch international midfielder Donny van de Beek in pre-season.
The 24-year-old endured a difficult first season at Old Trafford. He played just 1456 minutes for United across all competitions last season. This is comparatively lower than the 3171 minutes he managed at Ajax Amsterdam the season before. (h/t Transfermarkt)
This has seen the player get linked with a move to Real Madrid and even Barcelona. The links have since gone cold and it remains to be seen if any of them will make a move for him this summer.
According to the report, a standout moment between Solskjaer and Van de Beek occurred in our pre-season game against Brentford last night. The Dutchman was handed the armband for 15 minutes in a move that was unexpected.
The 24-year-old came off the bench in the game as he looks to get back his mojo. The midfielder was selected for the Dutch squad for the Euros but his stay was cut short when he injured himself in training. He only returned to training earlier this week.
Whether Solskjaer’s gesture was a show of support or just a random move in a pre-season game remains to be seen. Having gone through a complete season in England, Van de Beek is hopefully more at home ahead of his second season.
With Paul Pogba’s future also uncertain, just what Van de Beek’s potential exit could signify is debatable. The Frenchman leaving may open the door for Van de Beek to replicate his form for Ajax Amsterdam.
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Much was expected from Van de Beek upon his arrival. He scored on his debut but soon saw his form fizz out and spent the majority of the season on the bench. Hopefully, he has now turned a corner and better times lie ahead of the Dutch ace.
