Donny van de Beek’s ongoing mistreatment at Manchester United looks far from being resolved anytime soon. Despite promises of first-team minutes ahead of the season, the talented Dutchman remains underutilized by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with reports suggesting his desire to seek a move away from the club in January.
As the Red Devils struggle for consistency and convincing results, in what has been a tumultuous period for the club and its supporters since their humiliating loss to Liverpool at Old Trafford, the misery of many of United’s fringe players looks unlikely to be resolved in the immediate future. Despite promises of squad rotation and a title challenge, Solskjaer continues to fail in delivering on his promises.
While United have severely underperformed hitherto, Van de Beek’s mistreatment hit a new low as the Dutchman was seen laying off the ball for the players during the team’s pre-match shooting drills in the lead up to their tie against Tottenham Hotspur last Saturday.
Though it is not uncommon for players to lend a helping hand during training sessions, the presence of Eric Bailly, another played unfavoured by the manager, alongside Van de Beek served as a marker of their stance amongst United’s highly unexperienced coaching team.
Van de Beek, who made a career-stepping move from Ajax last summer, continues to find himself on the periphery at Manchester United. Despite being amongst the most versatile midfielders at the club, the Dutchman continues to be ignored, having made only one substitute appearance in the Premier League and played less than 140 minutes across all competitions this season.
With Solskjaer seemingly under pressure at United, it remains to be seen if the manager delivers on his promises or faces the prospect of a clear-out in the coming transfer windows.
