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With Manchester United's pursuit of Borussia Dortmund starlet, Jadon Sancho taking up a majority of the transfer headlines and speculation. The interest and immediate capture of Ajax midfielder, Donny van de Beek, came as a surprise to many. The 23-year-old Dutch international marks another shrewd signing for Manchester United.
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Amidst some impressive performances in the Eredivisie and previous Champions League campaigns can the Dutch international become an integral part of Solskjaer's rebuild? This is the question that is on the mind of every Manchester United supporter.
Let us explore the various factors that can make him an excellent signing for Manchester United if used correctly:
The Complete Midfielder
The former Ajax midfielder has scored 40 goals, secured 43 assists in 159 games for Ajax and managed 2.2 tackles per 90 minutes in the Eredivisie last season matching Nemanja Matic at Manchester United.
He can be classed as a traditional box-to-box midfielder who is equally adept at performing well at both ends of the pitch whenever required. He also posseses bundles of technique and sumptuous vision, add to that his eye for a goal and it really makes him the complete package. No wonder, Europe’s elite like PSG and Real Madrid had shown an interest in the young midfielder.
Footballing Intelligence
One of the most important qualities a midfielder should posses is spatial awareness, as he is the link between attack and defence for his team. Van De Beek has that in abundance.
Always ready to receive the ball on the half-turn what impresses most is the sheer verticality in his passing, and consequently his ability to break the opposition lines through quick one-touch passing or smart movement. He is always a constant threat for whatever opposition he faces.
Most creative midfielder’s in general love to have and build with the ball at their feet, however, Van De Beek excels in doing the opposite. Instead of running with the ball, the Dutch international looks for space to run into when his side is building in possession.
More often than not, with the help of his intelligent runs, he either finds himself in a goal-scoring position or commits the opposition defender to mark him, in turn, creating space for his teammates. Van De Beek has done this time and again, most famously against Chelsea and Tottenham the 18/19 Champions League season.
Raumdeuter Resemblemce:
This space exploitation first approach by Donny Van De Beek is not something new for the world of football. The Germans have coined a term for it : The Raumdeuter - which translates to space interpreter or space investigator.
The prime, in fact, the only example of such a player can be attributed to Thomas Müller. A criminally underrated player in world football, the German international showed to devastating effect in both the Champions League and Bundesliga how his interpretation of the role can genuinely create goal-scoring opportunities and win matches.
It’s all about the timing of the run and your teammate’s ability to find you that make this very difficult to defend against. Like Müller, Van De Beek too possesses the same ability to find space and make intelligent runs accordingly.
Overall Fit at Manchester United:
What blighted Manchester United’s progress last season was their inability to break through a low block which a majority of the teams employed. With Van De Beek’s nous to drift between the lines of the opposition and raw ability that results in him finding dangerous pockets of space in the final third, it is bound to create goal-scoring opportunities for his new side.
Apart from Pogba and Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United really lack an elite level dependable creator in midfield with the likes of Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Andreas Pereira just not being up to the mark. Although, he probably won’t replace Paul Pogba or Bruno Fernandes in the starting eleven yet he is certainly an upgrade over the rest and will provide some much-needed strength and depth to Manchester United’s midfield.
He can also be used as a super-sub as his dynamic movement and sharp passing is bound to create problems for the opposition late in games. .
All in all, signing a highly-rated midfielder who is both tactically and technically sound from Ajax for a reported fee of 39 million euros seems like a steal for a club like Manchester United who have often paid through their nose to secure their summer transfer targets.
Compared to his former Ajax teammates, he may not have the skills like David Neres, the dribbling ability like Frankie De Jong or the consistent through ball threading of Hakim Ziyech, what he does have are a set of skills that are not seen or appreciated easily hence are difficult to quantify. It will be intriguing, to say the least to see how the Manchester United manager, Solskjaer, employs his latest acquisition.
Also read: Manchester United looking to sign more players after Donny Van de Beek signing
