Five things Van de Beek needs to succeed at Manchester United
Karan Tejwani
- Updated: 29 Apr 2022 08:29 BST
- 4 min read
Few people would’ve been happier with the news of Erik ten Hag’s arrival than Donny van de Beek, considering the midfielder’s history with the current Ajax boss.
The two were together at Ajax between 2017 and 2020, and Van de Beek was a crucial figure in those years for the coach.
Now, he’ll have a chance to resurrect his career under his former boss.
Here are five things he needs to succeed at Manchester United under Ten Hag.
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What does Van de Beek need to succeed at Manchester United?
Impress early
Van de Beek’s first chance to impress will come in pre-season, when Manchester United travel to Asia and Australia to face Premier League opposition, and that will be something to take advantage of.
It doesn’t mean much in the grander scheme of things, but it’s there to show that Van de Beek worthy of fighting for a place in the first-team.
Times like these are important in a season, especially for a player who’s rarely had chances to play.
Rapport with Ten Hag
In a little under three years working with Ten Hag at Ajax, Van de Beek was crucial in a title-winning season and a campaign where they reached the Champions League semi-final.
The pair got off to a frosty start, but it got better as time went on and he proved his worth in the 2018-19 campaign, performing in important moments.
The Ajax academy graduate was one of the stars in that team and continuing that good relationship will be crucial for Van de Beek in the upcoming season.
Donny van de Beek under Erik ten Hag:
👕 Appearances - 110
⚽ Goals - 32
👟 Assists - 29
Revival? #MUFC pic.twitter.com/4XS9zLCAjl— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) April 29, 2022
Develop confidence
Granted, Van de Beek hasn’t played much, but there’s rarely been moments in times where he has started or come off the bench where he’s made a grand impact on the team.
It’s difficult for a player to do so when they do play, but apart from his debut where he scored and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s last match against Watford, Van de Beek’s time on the pitch has been quite average.
Building confidence and maintaining that will be important in the long-run if he wants to make his mark at Old Trafford.
Players around him
At Ajax, it took a while for Van de Beek to find the right rhythm – that only happened after the growth of Frenkie de Jong and experience of Lasse Schone around him.
At Manchester United, the squad perhaps doesn’t have the right profiles yet for him to succeed, and that isn’t down to him.
He’s a talented footballer and bringing the best out of him will require the right talents to be around him.
Take advantage of every chance
It’s likely that Van de Beek won’t be integrated into the first-team immediately – the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Fred will be ahead of him.
That will mean taking advantage of chances he gets in cup games, and even though he will likely be playing with a rotated squad, it’s something that needs to work out.
It’s difficult, but that’s the reality of the situation he is in at the minute.
