Should Donny Van de Beek be getting more minutes for Manchester United?

Manchester United’s star signing Donny Van de Beek hasn’t had as many minutes for United as anticipated, is it time for him to get his chance? 

Manchester United have had an up and down season so far, but the most obvious positive would be the duo of Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes. Many feel the duo have carried the weight of the entire team on their shoulders so far this season. 

However, it’s the cameo appearances from new summer signing Donny Van de Beek that have got United fans talking in the past couple weeks.  

The Dutch midfielder has managed to impress almost every time he’s thrown on the pitch, showing calmness on the ball and vast game knowledge, it’s clear he knows how to control tempo even at such a young age. However, the playmaker has had trouble finding his way into the starting eleven, despite these promising performances. 

Van de Beek has one goal and one assist in all competitions  but has only started three matches for United so far this season, and only played the full match in two of those starts. 

One of those 90-minute matches came in the Champions League in a 4-1 thrashing of Istanbul Başakşehir, and the other was a 3-0 victory of Brighton in the League Cup. In both matches the Dutchman proved that he has the quality to start on a consistent basis for United. 

Van de Beek has only played 85 minutes total in the Premier League so far this season and has only appeared in six of United’s eight total matches played in the league. He was left out in a 3-1 win over Everton, and more importantly, a 0-0 draw against Chelsea in which United severely needed someone with his creativity and energy to try and take the lead. 

An extended run for the Dutchman could be coming sooner than once thought, due to the injury of Paul Pogba. The Frenchman is one of the main reasons Van de Beek is stuck on the bench, for the manager, it’s hard to drop someone as high profile as Pogba.  

At the time of his signing under Jose Mourinho’s reign, Pogba was the most expensive player in the world. For most United fans, the tricky midfielder certainly hasn’t lived up to that reputation. A few also believe that Van de Beek was brought in to replace Pogba, and with the injury, now could be his time to do just that.  

Pogba has been rumoured to exit Manchester United for a few transfer windows, being heavily linked with Real Madrid and a move back to Juventus. These constant speculations around the player, and his uncertainty to commit his future to Manchester United are just one of the reason fans have begun to lose their patience with the Frenchman. 

 If Pogba does want to leave the club, Van de Beek’s solid performances and rise to the starting eleven could be his way out. 

Manchester United fans around the globe will be hoping than Van de Beek can get a second successive start after his dominant performance midweek against Istanbul Başakşehir, as United travel to St. Mary’s Stadium to face off against an in-form Southampton. 

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