After six games, Manchester United sit fifth in the Premier League table and are currently on a four-match winning streak having defeated arch-rivals Liverpool, league leaders Arsenal, as well as Southampton and Leicester. City.
However, due to the Queen’s death, United’s games against Crystal Palace and Leeds United were postponed and the momentum definitely faded.
It will be a challenging October for Erik ten Hag’s side as United play 13 times in the space of 42 days in three different competitions.
The Dutchman seems to have a pretty good idea when it comes to his strongest XI, having picked him for the last 4 Premier League games as well as one Europa League game.
Likely rotation
But the challenging aspect will be when the manager must rotate his squad while still getting wins. The last time he tried, United ended up losing to Real Sociedad 0-1 in their Europa League debut.
Facundo Pellistri and Donny van de Beek return to training
— MUFC Scoop (@MUFCScoop) September 17, 2022
There are quite a few stars waiting in the wings for a chance to claim a spot in the starting lineup. One of them is Donny van de Beek.
The former Ajax star was passed over by ex-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, while caretaker boss Ralf Rangnick wasn’t much of a fan either, as he ended up sending him on loan to Everton.
Ten Hag knows him well from his time in the Eredivisie champions and played him in every pre-season game, but the Dutch midfielder has yet to start a competitive game this season.
An early injury didn’t help matters, but now he’s been photographed again in training and with the tight schedule ahead, this could be the 25-year-old’s best chance to impress the manager.
Can Donny save his career at Utd?
Ten Hag is bound to rotate for the Europa League and EFL Cup qualifiers and if the Dutch international can make a solid change, he may finally resurrect his faltering United career.
There have already been reports that United are looking to offload Van De Beek as early as January and Inter Milan are said to be interested and this could be one of their last chances to make a good impression.
The good thing is that your current boss knows how to use it. His versatility means he can fill the roles of No. 6, No. 8 and even No. 10.
Given that Bruno Fernandes has no choice at the moment, Van De Beek could blossom into the advanced role he so desires.
“He can do both [sit deep and play high] – I know from the past. But his best position is his abilities in the opponent’s box, so he plays short behind the striker. [is his best role].
“He has a very good nose for being in the right position,” his boss had said earlier in the season. And Van De Beek hopes to make an impact and save his career at United.
