[NinjaFletch]

Not sure what he can do when he starts 1 game in every 10 (against Liverpool no less) or gets brought on with 4 minutes to go to be honest.

You get the feeling he could come on and bag a hat trick yet still be on the bench for the next 9 games, the whole situation is just bizarre. I said earlier fair enough if our midfield was solid and we didn’t want to risk changing it up but he literally changes personnel every game yet leaves VDB out.

Not sure why we paid 40 odd million for him he’s barely even a squad player.

Maybe he could have come on and banged in a hattrick and still not started, but he didn't. What he did was have the fewest touches of any starter on either side to continue what has become a bit of a trend of him being absolutely anonymous when he does play.

Something's going wrong, there's no doubt about that, but I'm not all convinced we've seen enough to suggest that it's bad management rather than Donny not being the player we hoped he would be. He still has plenty of time to turn it round, but he hasn't begin to do that yet and it would be a huge gamble to have brought him on today given where he is with us.

 

[Bobski]

I don't get the hype either, but how can you say that? He plays one game every few weeks, what can we realistically expect?

He hasn't impacted games, so when he comes on or starts he simply has to do more, not just drift through games being nice and tidy. Moving Pogba was the obvious choice, for one he wasn't getting in the game much from the left, but also to match the physicality of Xhaka and Partey, which Fred and VDB would not have been able to do.

 

[Nou_Camp99]

This will go down as the straw that broke the camel's back for me.

This signing has been forced on Ole and he's having none of it. Who the heck is deciding to buy these players when we don't have a DOF?

I'm not buying that's he's Ole signing. No manager treats their big money signing this way. Nobody.

Heads need to roll at this club. Stop wasting money ffs.

 

[Castia]

Maybe he could have come on and banged in a hattrick and still not started, but he didn't. What he did was have the fewest touches of any starter on either side to continue what has become a bit of a trend of him being absolutely anonymous when he does play.

Something's going wrong, there's no doubt about that, but I'm not all convinced we've seen enough to suggest that it's bad management rather than Donny not being the player we hoped he would be. He still has plenty of time to turn it round, but he hasn't begin to do that yet and it would be a huge gamble to have brought him on today given where he is with us.

You’ve picked one game there against Liverpool though in what must have been his first start in weeks/months. I mean we have players like McTominay who are that mediocre it’s a surprise when he actually does well, we’re just used to watching his shitty performances on a weekly basis and persist with it.

I remember after the Leeds game thinking Mctominay did well....almost in shock that a player who’s started about 80 games in 2 years actually did something.

 

[tomaldinho1]

This will go down as the straw that broke the camel's back for me.

This signing has been forced on Ole and he's having none of it. Who the heck is deciding to buy these players when we don't have a DOF?

I'm not buying that's he's Ole signing. No manager treats their big money signing this way. Nobody.

Heads need to roll at this club. Stop wasting money ffs.

Ole called him to convince him to come. Please can we stop pretending Woodward makes signings without manager approval, we're not Chelsea - Ole clearly wanted him for an insurance policy for if Pogba left/when he leaves and that's all he is to him. This isn't even about VdB specifcally, why wasn't Mata subbed on?

 

[Valar Morghulis]

I have a funny feeling we're going to offer cash plus Van de Beek to Dortmund this summer in exchange for Sancho. Which actually might well be a deal that suits each party.

 

[izec]

I have a funny feeling we're going to offer cash plus Van de Beek to Dortmund this summer in exchange for Sancho. Which actually might well be a deal that suits each party.

Dortmund didn't want him in the past and decided against a transfer after scouting him.

 

[Statue of Limitations]

He is just not getting enough minutes, which I wouldn't understand at the best of times and makes even less sense with our hectic schedule.
I'm confident he will come good - if he is given the chance to.

 

[Valar Morghulis]

Dortmund didn't want him in the past and decided against a transfer after scouting him.

I thought that was because he was too expensive?

 

[AFC NimbleThumb]

The fact he can’t get minutes in a misfiring team speaks volumes yet Caftards are sure he’ll come good based on his play at his former club in a system he’s only ever known.

Was never a good allocation of funds, far from a bad player but if he can’t fit in to this shower of sh*te then he mustn’t be pulling up trees for OgS.

 

[Terranova]

The fact he can’t get minutes in a misfiring team speaks volumes yet Caftards are sure he’ll come good based on his play at his former club in a system he’s only ever known.

Was never a good allocation of funds, far from a bad player but if he can’t fit in to this shower of sh*te then he mustn’t be pulling up trees for OgS.

Can't fit or won't be fitted in?

 

[dove]

Maybe you should try and show why you should come on in the appearances you get then?

He was utterly anonymous against Liverpool; it's hardly a surprise that two games later he's not at the forefront of Ole's mind to come into a midfield 2 with 30 minutes played. Whether Ole should trust him or not it's pretty clear that he doesn't; he'll have seen nothing from the player to suggest that he's wrong.

I don't know what can we expect him to show in 5 mins here, 9 mins there, 0 mins in the next 5 matches etc etc. I think our midfield lacks balance but he can't get any reasonable run of games to show his worth while other players on clearly horrible form are untouchable.

 

[NinjaFletch]

You’ve picked one game there against Liverpool though in what must have been his first start in weeks/months. I mean we have players like McTominay who are that mediocre it’s a surprise when he actually does well, we’re just used to watching his shitty performances on a weekly basis and persist with it.

I remember after the Leeds game thinking Mctominay did well....almost in shock that a player who’s started about 80 games in 2 years actually did something.

Well I’ve picked the one game he played. He was similarly poor against Watford if that helps?

But really my point isn’t that he should or shouldn’t have played more or that it was good or bad management to not have played him more. Neither of us have access to what happens behind the scenes; all we know is that he’s not playing much and not playing well when he is.

Like it to lump it, that’s the context of the decision Ole had to make today and I think it’s pretty understandable why Donny didn’t come on given that.

Whose fault that is will probably become clearer over time.

 

[AFC NimbleThumb]

Can't fit or won't be fitted in?

See below. . .

Well I’ve picked the one game he played. He was similarly poor against Watford if that helps?

But really my point isn’t that he should or shouldn’t have played more or that it was good or bad management to not have played him more. Neither of us have access to what happens behind the scenes; all we know is that he’s not playing much and not playing well when he is.

Like it to lump it, that’s the context of the decision Ole had to make today and I think it’s pretty understandable why Donny didn’t come on given that.

Whose fault that is will probably become clearer over time.

Exactly.

 

[JG3001]

Maybe you should try and show why you should come on in the appearances you get then?

He was utterly anonymous against Liverpool; it's hardly a surprise that two games later he's not at the forefront of Ole's mind to come into a midfield 2 with 30 minutes played. Whether Ole should trust him or not it's pretty clear that he doesn't; he'll have seen nothing from the player to suggest that he's wrong.

You talk as if no other player has been crap though. Everyones baffled why he can’t come on for 30 minutes for a lazy Martial, an erratic Fred, a lethargic Matic, a misfiring Bruno, a non existent Rashford on the right wing etc etc, I could go on.

So many players have had multiple awful games and stayed on the pitch way longer than deserved, let’s not pretend VDB has been given a fair crack, be he the saviour or not...

 

[bond19821982]

If he doesn't start against a high pressing Southampton side especially when Bruno is stinking the place, we can safely say that Ole never wanted him and has no intention of playing him .

 

[ShinjiNinja26]

The Europa league will be telling. If he doesn’t get regular game time in that competition providing we progress through then it isn’t looking good for Donny.
Bizarre situation as he’s clearly good enough to be playing more as he’s shown with Ajax and I feel there’s games where he could’ve made an impact if brought on. Granted he hasn’t always looked good when he has been playing for us but it’s always going to be difficult to find form when you’re sitting on the bench the majority of the time and when you do play it’s mostly the last 10 or 20 minutes here and there, it’s no wonder he hasn’t looked great the rare occasions he does get to start a game.

 

[Terranova]

Well I’ve picked the one game he played. He was similarly poor against Watford if that helps?

He was? What are hell are you talking about. He was poor if you expect Messi levels or performance. Statistically he was playing a good match, better than McTominay. But for some reason people like you want him to fail and twist things to make it so that he was poor.

 

[groovyalbert]

Pointless signing. Of everything we were in need of this summer, to spunk away £40m on him and not even play him. What on earth was this?

Feel for him, clearly a talented player but Ole doesn't fancy him.

 

[Nou_Camp99]

Ole called him to convince him to come. Please can we stop pretending Woodward makes signings without manager approval, we're not Chelsea - Ole clearly wanted him for an insurance policy for if Pogba left/when he leaves and that's all he is to him. This isn't even about VdB specifcally, why wasn't Mata subbed on?

Called him to come to be a cheer leader? It's just BS.

Ole didnt want him. He wanted Grealish n Sancho. Our transfer business was a shambles and most of it left to deadline day. Ole isn't getting much say at all.

Jose n LVG have both made claims some players were bought for them rather than by them. I have no doubts it is true.

 

[NinjaFletch]

He was? What are hell are you talking about. He was poor if you expect Messi levels or performance. Statistically he was playing a good match, better than McTominay. But for some reason people like you want him to fail and twist things to make it so that he was poor.

He was completely anonymous in both games. I'm perfectly happy to accept the argument that it's difficult for him to come into a side, especially a new side, after a long time out and be expected to perform to high standards, but if he doesn't have it in him to produce more than those two games then he has unsolvable problems here.

You clearly like the player, and I desperately don't want us to have pissed away £40m on a player, so I hope for both our sakes you're wrong and he has a lot more in his locker.

 

[berbatrick]

Him and Pogba suit a 4-3-3; Bruno, McT, and Fred suit a 4-2-3-1/4-2-4.

 

[thebelfastboy]

Called him to come to be a cheer leader? It's just BS.

Ole didnt want him. He wanted Grealish n Sancho. Our transfer business was a shambles and most of it left to deadline day. Ole isn't getting much say at all.

Jose n LVG have both made claims some players were bought for them rather than by them. I have no doubts it is true.

Yeah I'd agree with most of this but Ole kind of needs to play the hand he's been dealt at this stage.

McT going off today was the perfect opportunity for VDB to slot into midfield as a 3. Martial was never the correct change to make given his recent performances, zero work rate and inability to make good use of the ball.

I think Ole is blinded by whatever is going on and has dug himself into a hole. Disappointed in him.

VDB should start packing his bags and ask for a return back to Ajax. This is a massive failure on its not on him.

 

[Amir]

Ole didnt want him. He wanted Grealish n Sancho. Our transfer business was a shambles and most of it left to deadline day. Ole isn't getting much say at all.

VDB didn't arrive on deadline day, though. Far ahead of it. He probably wasn't Solskjaer's first choice for the role, but to say 'Ole didn't want him' is nonsense. He didn't get to Carrington one day and found him around. He ended up with HIS second or third choice, but that's the way it goes in football, for every manager. It was still his decision to go for him and not someone else.

Maybe having seen him up close, he doesn't fancy him for whatever reason. It happens.

I tend to think that much like Dortmund, The Ajax system of a couple of years ago made players look possibly better than they are. Doesn't mean he's not a good player, but he needs to fit into the right system and without it, he would struggle.

 

[SadlerMUFC]

I really don't understand it. What does VdB have to do to get game time? Every time I've seen him he's looked good. I hope he gets a start vs Southampton. Give the guy a chance...

 

[lex talionis]

I really don't understand it. What does VdB have to do to get game time? Every time I've seen him he's looked good. I hope he gets a start vs Southampton. Give the guy a chance...

“We must be patient.”

Or so we’ve been admonished here. It’s clear as day VdB was not on Ole’s wish list.

It’s still only January and things can change quickly but Donny needs to be thinking about how to leave United over the summer and play for a club whose manager sees value in him.

 

[el3mel]

Called him to come to be a cheer leader? It's just BS.

Ole didnt want him. He wanted Grealish n Sancho. Our transfer business was a shambles and most of it left to deadline day. Ole isn't getting much say at all.

Jose n LVG have both made claims some players were bought for them rather than by them. I have no doubts it is true.

Actually just because he didn't want him, it means he should completely neglect his presence and act like it's 45m thrown out of the window.

This sends terrible message.

He's currently your player. Use him.

 

[MadDogg]

Him and Pogba suit a 4-3-3; Bruno, McT, and Fred suit a 4-2-3-1/4-2-4.

I would think both Scott and Fred would be fine in a 433, as would Matic. It's really just Bruno who significantly pushes us to the 4231. And considering he's been our best and most important player for the last 12 months since he's joined us, it's not something we'll likely change anytime soon.

 

[He'sRaldo]

I would think both Scott and Fred would be fine in a 433, as would Matic. It's really just Bruno who significantly pushes us to the 4231. And considering he's been our best and most important player for the last 12 months since he's joined us, it's not something we'll likely change anytime soon.

If Bruno's the player the 4-2-3-1 is best suited for, then no wonder he performs best in it.

I'd still say we should go for the 4-3-3 as the benefit to our other players will most likely outweigh a drop in Bruno's stats. In fact, I think his performances will also benefit from being in a more organized 3 man midfield as opposed to having to run all over the place.

 

[Bebestation]

I just want to see a 433 instead of a 4231.

Bruno isnt really doing it as a CAM right now and even if he is - he is a player that isnt in one position all the time and is moving around as deep as CDM and as attacking as our main ST.

I dont see why Bruno couldn't play a bit deeper with the freedom to get forward in to CAM (whilst VDB plays as a shadow striker in between 2 forwards).

If that doesnt work then I'd like to see VDB deeper and let Bruno play as our central CF almost like the positions he gets to as a false 9 that can score goals but lay assists to forwards that play off of him.

 

[Bondi77]

This will go down as the straw that broke the camel's back for me.

This signing has been forced on Ole and he's having none of it. Who the heck is deciding to buy these players when we don't have a DOF?

I'm not buying that's he's Ole signing. No manager treats their big money signing this way. Nobody.

Heads need to roll at this club. Stop wasting money ffs.

It is strange isn’t it as I thought they spoke before he came to the club and it seemed positive.
Ole has stated before that he would not have a player at the club if he did not want him but I think time has shown us Ole is not the most truthful when talking to the media.
Similar to when Fred was brought in as I never got the feeling that Mourinho wanted him at the club at the time

 

[berbatrick]

I would think both Scott and Fred would be fine in a 433, as would Matic. It's really just Bruno who significantly pushes us to the 4231. And considering he's been our best and most important player for the last 12 months since he's joined us, it's not something we'll likely change anytime soon.

Wouldn't trust either Fred or Scott to be the only deep player, it would require a lot of good organisation and coaching. Especially Fred who loves pressing. Matic, yes, but not at this age.

 

[elmo]

Actually just because he didn't want him, it means he should completely neglect his presence and act like it's 45m thrown out of the window.

This sends terrible message.

He's currently your player. Use him.

Ole has already shown that he'll not use players if he doesn't like them at all last season when the starters were running on fumes and he didn't even bother to rotate.

This is nothing new. He has his favourites and sticks with them till they get injured.

 

[DickDastardly]

This will go down as the straw that broke the camel's back for me.

This signing has been forced on Ole and he's having none of it.

Then he's a stubborn old fool!

And it will not only cost him, it will cost the team and the club as well.

Yes, you love the 4213, but the front 3 are utterly underperforming, and when the injury presented itself, he chose to put the worst of the 3 instead of VDB.

He had a choice, Martial, Greenwood or VDB.
Couldn't have picked a worst choice.
Well, we actually can't know that, but the latter two at least deserved a shot.

You can have your favorites by all means, just don't be blind about it.

 

[Borys]

He was completely anonymous in both games. I'm perfectly happy to accept the argument that it's difficult for him to come into a side, especially a new side, after a long time out and be expected to perform to high standards, but if he doesn't have it in him to produce more than those two games then he has unsolvable problems here.

You clearly like the player, and I desperately don't want us to have pissed away £40m on a player, so I hope for both our sakes you're wrong and he has a lot more in his locker.

No, you're not "happy to accept the argument that it's difficult" to play after being left out of the team for long time. You actually expect him to perform from minute one no matter what, when it's clear most players need to get used to the league and more importantly, some proper game time.

It took Pogba a few months to get into the game rhythm this season. It took Fred a whole season, and he was way worse than van de Beek, who is a decent player just not spectacular. And I guess that is his biggest problem, because people expected him to be Bruno replacement and he doesn't look like one at all. The question is what do we do with Donny-it doesn't seem like Ole has an answer yet.

 

[Sylar]

We can only guess why this is happening

Not oles player?
Under performing in training?
Something else?

This is either on vdb or ole however
I do think he should not be starting over bruno or Pogba or even the other two in big games
But I do think there are times he should have come on in games or come on earlier (previous game being an example)

If Bruno gets a long term injury due to over use you would suspect we would need vdb to come in and if that happens we are putting unnecessary pressure on him

 

[Rake]

Bollocks

Nobody expects Messi levels just something a bit better than you know...fecking Fred, Matic and McTominay.

There’s so many playing shit he must be given a chance, it’s ridiculous.

It is not bollocks at all. There are multiple posters crying for him to be sold to Real and god knows what other teams so he can be the superstar that he is, which is mental.

Not to mention that I don't think he is the type of player to displace Fred, Matic or McT. He doesn't seem to have the drive or playstyle to compete with them. While he was supposedly bought as Bruno/Pogba alternative, I just don't see him replacing one of them.

Most posters seem to think that Ole and the staff are just set on digging their own graves and not playing him when they should. I`d like to think that they want him to play and perform in a certain way, which he is currently unable to do.

 

[McGrathsipan]

Nothing he has done in a Utd shirt suggests he is a match changing player at that stage of the game. Small sample size but it is clear he is also not doing enough in training to warrant the hype on here.

How do you know about training other than speculating like the rest of us?
The only thing that is clear is that Ole is not giving him game time and presumably thats because he doesnt fancy him as a player.
If thats the case then there has to be further questions on why the lad was even signed. He is a quality footballer and if hes not going to play then just let him go in the summer.

Personally I think his treatment is appalling. He hasnt been given a chance on the pitch as much as some of the absolute horse shite that gets to play.

He might not be the next Paul Scholes but he deserves a chance. United have stolen a year of a young players career.

 

[tomaldinho1]

Called him to come to be a cheer leader? It's just BS.

Ole didnt want him. He wanted Grealish n Sancho. Our transfer business was a shambles and most of it left to deadline day. Ole isn't getting much say at all.

Jose n LVG have both made claims some players were bought for them rather than by them. I have no doubts it is true.

Just to clarify - even though the player and manager reiterated the story, you're simply choosing to believe the contrary? Ole wanted Donny and he convinced him to join - it's actually very smart, if very cold, management because VdB was excellent for Ajax, covers a range of midfield positions and strengthens our overall squad.

Re LVG/Mou: - can you provide some proof from a reputable source for that? From memory their criticisms are well documented in lengthy interviews and neither specifically said players were bought without their say-so. The criticisms were exactly the same for both, poor scouting, too commercial (long tours detrimental to time spent coaching and fatigue) and inability to attract top players. LVG/Mou would give Woodward a list of preferred players per position and their criticism was United could very rarely attract the 1st or 2nd names on that list - this then made them resort to signing their 3rd, 4th or even 5th choice player or players they knew already (LVG's Dutch contingent, ADM he'd tried to sign years back, BFS, Jose: Ibra, Matic, Lukaku and his Portuguese network referrals like Lindelof, Dalot, Fred probably through this channel as well). LVG was at the forefront of this and there's a lot of evidence about how poor our scouting team was (and he has openly criticized them) they recommended Schneiderlin for example who even said in interviews he didn't really have a good connection with LVG but just wanted to play for the club because of it's reputation.

There's even direct quotes from Woodward on our club website about how the club is run:

“There is a myth that we have non-football people making football decisions, and I think it’s insulting to the brilliant people who work on the football side in this club,” said the executive vice-chairman.“Many of the senior staff on the football side of the club have been in their roles for over 10 years. Some of our scouts have worked with us for more than 25 years.“We’ve expanded our recruitment department in recent years and we believe this now runs in an efficient and productive way. Player recommendations and decisions are worked on by this department and by the first-team manager and his staff, not by senior management.”

 

[Castia]

It is not bollocks at all. There are multiple posters crying for him to be sold to Real and god knows what other teams so he can be the superstar that he is, which is mental.

Not to mention that I don't think he is the type of player to displace Fred, Matic or McT. He doesn't seem to have the drive or playstyle to compete with them. While he was supposedly bought as Bruno/Pogba alternative, I just don't see him replacing one of them.

Most posters seem to think that Ole and the staff are just set on digging their own graves and not playing him when they should. I`d like to think that they want him to play and perform in a certain way, which he is currently unable to do.

He’s played in the #6, #8 and #10 in his career at Ajax he can play anywhere in the middle of the park. I said earlier I’d understand it if our midfield was rock solid and he just couldn’t get a game but McTomibay and Matic? Come on they’ve been mediocre for far too long. Id love to see an extended run of Fred, VDB and Bruno we’d keep the ball much better, the balance of the whole side with ‘McFred’ starting is all over the place it’s 2 players doing the job of 1 man because neither are good enough to be a proper DM and shield the defence.

We must be the only club in Europe who’d pick McTominay over VDB is ridiculous.