His main problem is that he lives too much in his own head. He hasn't shown it much but the few occasions (Ole final game, pre season vs Rayo) he expressed himself he looked a player worth having around, he is no Eriksen who can play with calm and influence games. He needs to let it flow like all our other midfielders do.
34
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 10
- Goals
- 0
- Assists
- 0
- Yellow cards
- 0
- Status
Is he injured? If so, what's wrong with him?
Yet another manager who comes in and doesn’t understand how to utilise his genius. How unlucky can you be?
He had better hope we have a long run in the league cup
Genuinely forgot this guy existed. Weird even ETH doesn't seem to fancy him in the slightest.
He's suffering from Acute Bench Warmeritis.
First and foremost he/we need to decide what the best position for him is. I think he can be a useful player, but not at this club because we are traditionally steeped in a football philosophy from the 90s.
We're too stoneage to be able to unlock Donnie's genius! It's not simply that he's a waste of a shirt or anything...
He didn't just start playing football when he joined Manchester United did he?
We don't even know what position we want him to play.
I've never wanted us to sign him, and he's never good enough to be a star player IMO, but then again the same applies for several players at United and beyond. Obviously, in a team that plays a certain way, he can contribute though. I say obviously because we have seen it in his days as a professional footballer before joining Manchester United. He can clearly play football a bit, but he can't play ours that is for sure, as he doesn't have the adventure or physical capability.
No, he didn't, but even at Ajax his limitations were on display. I'm not disputing that he can contribute to certain teams but I would dispute that those teams are PL quality sides. In part because of the style of football played in the prem and certain areas that are privileged that his game doesn't lend itself to, and in part because he's just not up to the level required.
If ETH can't find a place for him, I wonder who can?
Maybe goes back to Ajax in an exchange for one of their good players? 
. It's been a terrible career move for him here but he's not shown enough sadly.
. It's been a terrible career move for him here but he's not shown enough sadly.Lingard is miles better
Yeah I remember saying if Erik can't get a tune out of him then that's lights out at Utd
I won't be surprised if ETH tried integrating him into the team a little bit more after Bruno's and Sancho's horror show at Eastlands.
Bruno is no centre midfielder. He should be part of the front three. Guy has no nuance over the things he does on the field.
That being said, VDB has been nowhere near the squad so even Ten Hag has his misgivings over him it seems.
Bruno is no centre midfielder. He should be part of the front three. Guy has no nuance over the things he does on the field.
That being said, VDB has been nowhere near the squad so even Ten Hag has his misgivings over him it seems.
I know I’m in the minority on this point, so I’m prepared for any abuse that may come my way, but I’d like to see Van De Beek given a proper chance. As in starting a fukking match and not just brought on in the 85th minute. Not 10 matches straight as I’ll be the first to admit that Bruno and Eriksen are clearly superior…just one full match.
I forgot we even had this guy. Not even seen him on the bench recently. Reports today saying ETH has told him he’s happy for him to leave in the summer.
Think the problem ten hag is having is at Ajax he was useful and worth having but here we have better midfielders in front of him including eriksen and Fernandes.
At Ajax I remember him mostly playing in that number 8 position that KDB plays with De Jong and Schone (I think) behind him. DVB would drift into attacking areas and in the box.
The problem is there isn’t really that role in our current set up as we play a 10 which is normally Bruno.
Every time I’ve watched him (mainly at Everton) recently he’s always looked like he’s struggling with the pace of the game. I remember Utd coaches apparently quoted as saying similar. It may just be a case of not the right horse for the course.
The only way I could see him even getting a sniff of first team football here is if ten Hag decides he doesn't really fancy Fernandes. It's hard to see exactly how van de Beek could ever fit in this team when he hasn't nailed down a position and there's no aspects of his game which he excels at.
I think he might've had some injuries at the start of this season but I don't know if that's still the case. It's looking pretty bleak for him atm and he probably won't make the Dutch World Cup squad while he's not playing.
I think he might've had some injuries at the start of this season but I don't know if that's still the case. It's looking pretty bleak for him atm and he probably won't make the Dutch World Cup squad while he's not playing.
I think Van Haal hasn't called him up once since he's been head coach again. Chances of him going to the world cup are non existant at this point. Davy Klaassen has definitively overtaken him in the pecking order. Davy fecking Klaassen.
That should've been all the motivation he needed to force a move in the summer then. Perhaps he thought he would be given a go under his previous manager but it's not looking like that's going to happen for him.
Agree. I want to see DVB get a run of 6 games - on the trot - starting, playing 80 minutes at least, in place of Bruno. If he's not done it after that, fine, ship him out. But give the guy a chance surely?
Clearly deserves a new deal.
Sorry but just no to this idea. In the position Bruno plays you don't need 6 games to see that DVB is a significant step down and I am basing that on his career not just his performances for United. Donny could be useful if we want to change formations to accommodate him but in what kind of upside down world would you change your formation to get the best out of a squad player? ETH clearly already knows far more about Donny that any of us and it is quite clear he does not see him as anything other than a bit part player at this level so the fact we are still debating this is mental. He won't be here next season and could well be shipped out in January if we need to raise funds for another signing.
How do you know? We've never seen it.
And we never will. And this is under a Dutch manager. Says all that needs to be said.
Erik certainly has and if he thought for a second Donny was better he would play him, speaks volumes that he does not.
Aside from him not being that good, he will just never excel in this team because player profile wise, we have nobody in the side who fits his playstyle. He could maybe play in a midfield 3, but even that isn’t particularly suited with the midfielders we have. He’s a give and go midfielder who wants no main responsibilities other than getting in good positions off the ball in the final third. Our other midfielders aren’t good enough with their short passing game, or have the ability to bring the ball forward in midfield to carry a midfielder like him.
And even if we did, what would be the point? As much as I dislike Fernandes, he still has far more positives to his game than van de Beek does. Especially for a team as fragmented as ours.
We really should have sold him back to Ajax ASAP (like literally the January window after we signed him).
And even if we did, what would be the point? As much as I dislike Fernandes, he still has far more positives to his game than van de Beek does. Especially for a team as fragmented as ours.
We really should have sold him back to Ajax ASAP (like literally the January window after we signed him).
Is he still injured?
He’s still in, but the jury’s still out.
Well I hope for his sake something can happen, he's a tidy player that even in short spells has been involved in goals for us and with the money being spent on crap these days we should be able to get a reasonable fee. He'd be a decent attacking midfielder playing regularly, I feel he's losing his way in all aspects here and I'm sure his fitness would turn around at a club he's needed. United are probably going to always have or buy in someone else.
It will be a strange 4 years for him, 3 with us at the end of this season. In his last season at Ajax he was starting less, Ajax fans did warn us he wasn't fancied at the end. Still I remember he was fresh and sharp when he first came here and had very good appearances like away to Newcastle, changed the game in the last 20 mins and made us attacking and progressive. Played and started excellently against Leipzig at home, helped us beat the press early on in the game and encouraged quick passing and moving, he covered a lot of ground in that game and can't seem to get close to that level now. He's noted at the club for struggling with the physical aspects. It's probably a mountain for him to get back into that zone and he won't get that here. It was bizarre he didn't start the away leg to Leipzig, we had Pogba out and Fred suspended and were 2-0 down with minutes. Since being snubbed he fell off and hasn't been able to involve himself properly in the few bits of time he's had. I recall once away in Europe in more recent times he was excellent playing through balls throughout but following appearances was total crap and rightly dropped.
I just hate to see us again become some graveyard for players even if by pure chance we end up relying on him for a period of time, yes hard to imagine. I don't think it's worth the career derailment.
It will be a strange 4 years for him, 3 with us at the end of this season. In his last season at Ajax he was starting less, Ajax fans did warn us he wasn't fancied at the end. Still I remember he was fresh and sharp when he first came here and had very good appearances like away to Newcastle, changed the game in the last 20 mins and made us attacking and progressive. Played and started excellently against Leipzig at home, helped us beat the press early on in the game and encouraged quick passing and moving, he covered a lot of ground in that game and can't seem to get close to that level now. He's noted at the club for struggling with the physical aspects. It's probably a mountain for him to get back into that zone and he won't get that here. It was bizarre he didn't start the away leg to Leipzig, we had Pogba out and Fred suspended and were 2-0 down with minutes. Since being snubbed he fell off and hasn't been able to involve himself properly in the few bits of time he's had. I recall once away in Europe in more recent times he was excellent playing through balls throughout but following appearances was total crap and rightly dropped.
I just hate to see us again become some graveyard for players even if by pure chance we end up relying on him for a period of time, yes hard to imagine. I don't think it's worth the career derailment.
Last edited:
His time is up. We clearly should reinvest in a more suitable player.
Yeah we truly pissed around £70m up the wall on him & Amad, that could have gone towards another CM or a ST but no we are clueless
In reply to several posts above, ETH clearly knows more about his squad than we do. But surely we can all see that Bruno should not play twice a week and that he is prone to horrifying performances. We’re not talking about throwing a player like Garnacho to the wolves. Donny has performed well against top level competition before, certainly well enough to deserve better than coming only coming in on stoppage time.
The definition of a nothing player.
Honestly forgot he was in our squad. After that shit show against City, you'd think he'd be popping up on ETH's radar.
If he earns a start he’d be getting one. Pretty obvious he’s not showing enough in training, otherwise he’d be getting some game time. Not sure Ten Hag is just going to start any player just because a few select fans think he should be given that opportunity.
Not to be contrary, but why? He's shown basically nothing to imply he's worth a start and he's clearly boy showing enough in training. Why would we want to start him?
- Status