Donny van de Beek is not joining Manchester United to play as a defensive midfielder but will be in direct competition for Paul Pogba’s role in the starting line-up.
That’s according to a Dutch football expert Marcel van der Kraan, who joined talkSPORT to give us the lowdown on Man United‘s first summer signing.
But his arrival does NOT mean Pogba is set to leave Old Trafford.
United are expected to announce the arrival of Netherlands international Van de Beek in the coming days after reportedly agreeing a £35million fee with Ajax for his signature.
The transfer was first reported over the weekend and was all-but confirmed on Monday by the 23-year-old’s father, who revealed to the Dutch press his son has chosen to join ‘a beautiful club’ in Man United and said his move to Old Trafford is ‘a dream come true’.
However, there has been some debate over his role in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team, with Van de Beek’s arrival triggering rumours over Pogba’s future.
It’s been widely suggested Van de Beek has been brought in by Solskjaer to form a versatile three-pronged midfield alongside Pogba and Bruno Fernandes.
But talkSPORT pundit Danny Murphy revealed his doubts about those claims on Monday, saying it wouldn’t work to play all three attack-minded midfielders in one team and that Van de Beek’s arrival may mean ‘Pogba could be off’.
Van de Beek certainly showed his eye for the goal last season, ending the shortened Eredivisie campaign with an impressive 14 strikes and seven assists.
And Van der Kraan insists the young Dutchman is in the same mould of Frank Lampard and more suited to going forward.
“I can’t see him playing in a defensive midfield role,” he told the talkSPORT Breakfast. “He wants to use his stamina and energy and likes to get in the box.
“I would say he’s far more a player like Frank Lampard in his great days for Chelsea and England. I think he would play probably with another attacking midfielder and a holding midfielder, but it depends what Solskjaer has got in mind.
“In the Dutch national team Van de Beek plays with Frenkie de Jong as the holding midfielder and Gini Wijnaldum as the other attacking box-to-box midfielder. Wijnaldum and Van de Beek are both very multi-functioning players and maybe that would be the solution for Manchester United.
“But, in another way, Donny is not really worried where he plays. He fits in, he’s easy going, he’s not arrogant, he’s a down to earth lad and, let’s not forget, he might get a tip or two from his father-in-law Dennis Bergkamp who has played a few games in the Premier League…”
Meanwhile, Manchester football writer for The Guardian, Jamie Jackson, believes Pogba is going nowhere this summer.
With the signing of Van der Beek, he says Solskjear is aiming to turn United back into a club with ruthless competition for places, with players who push each other to give only their best on the pitch – something that Pogba can benefit from.
“What Solskjaer is doing is upgrading the squad,” he told talkSPORT.
“He’s a box-to-box player like Pogba, and what this says to me is Pogba is not always going to be an automatic choice because he can be sporadic.
“Van de Beek is a team player, like Fernandes, but this is all about upgrading and adding depth to the squad.
“This issue with Pogba leaving is there isn’t anyone who wants him for the price Man United would require.
“I still think that with Fernandes and Van de Beek coming in, it says to Pogba this is a serious team here. I think he is happy and his agent Mino Raiola has said he’s not going anywhere.
“I think what Solskjaer wants to do is stockpile talent everywhere so there’s proper competition throughout the squad – that’s what he was reared on at Manchester United as a player.”
No comments:
Post a Comment