VdB would do well as an 8 in a 4-3-3. But he's not the type of 10 we play. I'm sure we got him to be a Bruno's backup. And much like Awb we paid more attention to his character suiting the United ethos rather than our style of play
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- Appearances
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I wonder if it's by tactical instruction, but a big gripe I have whenever seeing him play is his propensity to run straight upfield and occupy the shoulder of the defense. It's a very strange position that he takes up where for me, his lack of pace means that he's very rarely going to run in behind the defender. Consequently means that the position he takes up is solely to create space or to try a one-touch/flick to the onrushing players in an attempt to open up the game. The downside of this is he's not very involved in the game at all.
Apart from the game where he started against I can't remember who now, and was giving sideways Cleverly passes, I'd like to see him face up to the defense a bit more and trying to control the play in a forward looking manner. I'm just not sure he's capable of that.
Apart from the game where he started against I can't remember who now, and was giving sideways Cleverly passes, I'd like to see him face up to the defense a bit more and trying to control the play in a forward looking manner. I'm just not sure he's capable of that.
He provided a spark and scored on his debut and wasn't allowed to even build on that. How does a player perform at the best of their ability if they're so sporadically selected/played?
I dunno? How did he manage to provide a spark and score on his debut if he is so sporadically selected?
Its clear Solskjaer doesn't have faith in VDB. Its hard to perform when you're accutely aware of that and constantly get overlooked even when Bruno gets to start dead rubber matches for example
Lingard's 'revival' at West Ham points to a huge problem Solskjaer has in his treatment of several fringe and back up players. How does Daniel James for instance get so much playtime over more technically sound (and overall more talented and experienced) players? VDB hasn't been given a chance here
Who?
I always thought the Klaassen comparison was lazy and because of the hair, but seeing Klaassen do wel at Ajax again. They're practically the same player.
Call me a football manager fan but I would love to see this one day,
Fred
Donny......Pogba
Greenwood..........Bruno.........Rashford
With Bruno playing the striker role similar to Rooney, making runs and dropping deep, with Mason, Rashford, Pogba and Donny making runs and creating space. Almost like a diamond.Donny......Pogba
Greenwood..........Bruno.........Rashford
He looks quite good to me when he plays. Great touch and awarenss and rarely loses possession.
I think he has bern overlooked because he isn’t up the curve in terms of the tactical side of things. I expect we will see a lot more of him next season
I think he has bern overlooked because he isn’t up the curve in terms of the tactical side of things. I expect we will see a lot more of him next season
Obviously not much you can say after that superb 6-2 win, but was surprised to see Donny not get a few mins in there?
Hopefully starts next week now
Surely has too. If he can’t be trusted to start when we’ve got a 4 goal lead then whats the point.
I wouldn’t bet on it, didn’t Bruno start the second leg vs Sociedad when we were 4-0 up?
With top 4 sewn up, would like for us to try Donny in the midfield 2 for the last few league games. Bruno isn’t getting dropped, so that’s the only position moving forward that he can play regularly anyway. May as well give it a try.
With top 4 sewn up, would like for us to try Donny in the midfield 2 for the last few league games. Bruno isn’t getting dropped, so that’s the only position moving forward that he can play regularly anyway. May as well give it a try.
I’m a bit gutted he isn’t getting more minutes, think he’s actually in quite good form too. To be fair to Ole I’m not sure who you drop for him?
I'm not sure we see more of him next season though. He's been hardly used this season and if Ole sees something in him, he would play him more. Having said that, he can't be any worse than McT or Fred
A few weeks back I made a case in my head he could improve during a second season with us, I don't see him being here now to be honest.
If he was 19 I'd make a case for him but he's not and he's not getting any minutes at all anymore. There is no chance a player of his ability would be happy with 3 minute cameo's.
If he was 19 I'd make a case for him but he's not and he's not getting any minutes at all anymore. There is no chance a player of his ability would be happy with 3 minute cameo's.
I've noticed he has a man crush on Bruno. He always hugs him, touches him, wants his attention. It's not a mutual feeling though.
Stockholm syndrome.
Wasn't donny injured and didn't make the squad at all? Will have to check but remember him getting splinters from sitting on the bench so much around that time
Roma away is the perfect game for him. Massive lead, shite opposition. He has to start in the middle. If he can't run the show there he's not going to do it anywhere.
If ten Hag joines spurs, offer them £100m and Donny for Kane. Now swap deals usually doesn't make sense, but this could actually make sense for both parts.
Not really.
Ten Hag just extended his contract at Ajax.
So we are stuck with him
Maybe you can sell him back to Ajax at a small loss. They also paid 22 million for Haller, so who knows.
He's completed 4 matches for us this season. I don't understand this signing at all.
40 million for a backup just seems like a waste.
I'd love Ole to give him 4 games on the bounce in midfield with Fred. Once top 4 is secure it would be a great time for experimentation.
40 million for a backup just seems like a waste.
I'd love Ole to give him 4 games on the bounce in midfield with Fred. Once top 4 is secure it would be a great time for experimentation.
You’re right, just looked. Pogba was missing too and we had the likes of Shoretire and Galbraith on the bench... Fair enough then, although I’m still not convinced he’d have started anyway.
I personally don't see what he brings to our team at the moment, unless he can play a disciplined role as a CM. Very bad transfer overall, though, not surprising for our club and unfortunately more money wasted.
Starting once every 2 months or so to give Bruno a rest and coming on for the last 5 minutes in the odd game - I wouldn’t even call it backup, which makes it even more of a waste. Should have just kept Lingard as the “backup” and put the £40m towards Grealish/Sancho.
Only we could spend so much on a player and then not play him all season as he needs ‘bedding in’.
It's been a real shame and the thing is he's played so little we still have no idea what he'd be like next season. We've not really even had enough of a glimpse to say yeah, he shows promise in the midfield two role.
Really like Ole but I'm sure he could have found more minutes for DvB somewhere.
Really like Ole but I'm sure he could have found more minutes for DvB somewhere.
Sold back to Ajax on the cheap this Summer we reckon?
Ole has improved so many players when being our manager (Shaw, Wan Bissaka, Fred, Mctomminay, Rashford pre injury, the new version of pogba etc) that it makes me feel that he wont use a player unless he has to.
Some players get that chance to improve in the first 11 because there is no one else to really compete with them - whilst some players like Diallo or VDB are playing in positions that are taken and need to make that improvement first.
Some players get that chance to improve in the first 11 because there is no one else to really compete with them - whilst some players like Diallo or VDB are playing in positions that are taken and need to make that improvement first.
Should have came on instead of Matic yesterday. There is a good player in there as shown at Ajax, I hope we can unlock it here.
So this season has been pretty awful for a big signing to play so little and DVB hasn't looked that confident and at the best of his ability in some of the matches he's played. This post is not to argue against that.
However I do think its interesting to look at the areas where he has still provided something, even if its not what fans wanted
When we look at this for example
https://gyazo.com/bb5e2c41d7a38ff5860251287f4c2f4f
The players DVB is statistically similar to are plenty of players who have been favourites on the transfer forum in the past. N'Dombele, Valverde, Llorente, Oliver Torres and Nico Barella. And as we can see, in some areas he's hit a very high percentile for midfielders.
84% for non-penalty goals, 82% for assists, 97% for expected assists which would suggest he's been unlucky with teammates missing some great chances he's set up...
Touches in the opponent's area 99%, progressive passes received 97%
There are also areas where he has faired weakly compared to other midfielders.
However, considering he hasnt been given a run in the team and clearly hasnt been at his best the fact that he's set up good chances, got into the opponents penalty area and got on the ball, scored goals and been in good positions to receive passes are all good signs. As we can see, he's done well in those specific areas.
The main area of concern would be making so few progressive passes himself. As we can see from the numbers, he's extremely low here for a midfielder. That just says the role he's trying to play is to be beyond the ball and he needs players to feed it to him in the attacking positions. He's making the runs, he's setting up the chances, he's scoring some goals. He needs someone else to play the ball into him. At the same time, he wouldnt have 97% progressive passes received and 99% touches in the opponent's box if our players werent doing that. But I still think we can do it a bit better
However I do think its interesting to look at the areas where he has still provided something, even if its not what fans wanted
When we look at this for example
https://gyazo.com/bb5e2c41d7a38ff5860251287f4c2f4f
The players DVB is statistically similar to are plenty of players who have been favourites on the transfer forum in the past. N'Dombele, Valverde, Llorente, Oliver Torres and Nico Barella. And as we can see, in some areas he's hit a very high percentile for midfielders.
84% for non-penalty goals, 82% for assists, 97% for expected assists which would suggest he's been unlucky with teammates missing some great chances he's set up...
Touches in the opponent's area 99%, progressive passes received 97%
There are also areas where he has faired weakly compared to other midfielders.
However, considering he hasnt been given a run in the team and clearly hasnt been at his best the fact that he's set up good chances, got into the opponents penalty area and got on the ball, scored goals and been in good positions to receive passes are all good signs. As we can see, he's done well in those specific areas.
The main area of concern would be making so few progressive passes himself. As we can see from the numbers, he's extremely low here for a midfielder. That just says the role he's trying to play is to be beyond the ball and he needs players to feed it to him in the attacking positions. He's making the runs, he's setting up the chances, he's scoring some goals. He needs someone else to play the ball into him. At the same time, he wouldnt have 97% progressive passes received and 99% touches in the opponent's box if our players werent doing that. But I still think we can do it a bit better
I do feel for him but there is simply no way past Bruno
Donny should have joined the protest, some of the fans got more minutes on the pitch than him this season.
If VDB was the first team player instead of Bruno, we'd have finished 10th this season. VDB is nowhere near good enough; should never have signed him.
He's not a risky taker. Ole is looking for a risky taker type of player. If he doesn't develop that habit from being safe to risky taker, I can't see his future in here. He has to develop it. Pity, he actually has the work ethic but on the ball, his mentality is not Man United.
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