Paul Pogba moved and Premier League title winner dropped – How Manchester United could look with Donny van de Beek next season
Manchester United’s transfer market slumber is over and Ajax ace Donny van de Beek is set to arrive.
A £35million bid was accepted by the Dutch giants as another of their 2018/19 squad leaves Amsterdam for a side in one of the top five European leagues.
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With the Red Devils failing to land £109m target Jadon Sancho, many have wondered how they will spend the cash.
It doesn’t appear to have been burning a hole in their pocket, but now their decision has been made and it’s midfielder Van de Beek who is set to arrive at Old Trafford.
The move for the 23-year-old Dutch international looks smart on paper, a versatile star capable of occupying numerous roles thanks to his education at Ajax.
In 2018/19 he was one of the chief attackers for Erik ten Hag but as, one-by-one, his teammates left his responsibilities within the Dutch side shifted and he dropped a little deeper.
Van de Beek may not be the all-star money spinner but Man United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set to add one of the most adaptable midfielders in Europe to his ranks.
So where will this Swiss Army knife of a footballer fit in once he signs? talkSPORT.com takes a look.
Roles
As mentioned above, Van de Beek has all the skills to play as either a No.6, an No.8, and a No.10, and the way Solksjaer will attempt to use him has pundits and fans intrigued.
One would believe a spot in the No.10 role where he did so much damage in 2018/19 is out of the question given Bruno Fernandes’ success there so far – even if the two players have different interpretations of it.
Where Fernandes seeks to get on the ball a little deeper, around the start of the final third, and create with his freer role, Van de Beek’s sensational spatial awareness sees him seek the ball higher up the pitch and become a threat, primarily, around the penalty area.
Fernandes does his damage with the ball at his feet but it could easily be argued Van de Beek’s off the ball movement means he’s more lethal without it.
This will help Man United when they come to breaking down clubs using a low block to shut out their front three.
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This season, the Dutchman has often played on the right of a midfield two in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Here, his tremendous work rate and his defensive attributes have been highlighted with him averaging two tackles and 0.7 interceptions per game, even when playing alongside Argentine teammate Lisandro Martinez, a centre-back turned central midfielder with Ajax.
Even though his been playing deeper, he still managed six goals and six assists with energetic box-to-box displays.
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He gets into the box a lot more often than Pogba has from a similar role, which has mostly been on the right of a midfield two, and also moves wider on both sides of the pitch.
But it should also be considered that Ajax midfielder rotate roles more than others so even if he started in a two he will have moved around the pitch in certain situations, such are their adaptable tactics.
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There is plenty of scope for Pogba to return to his role on the left of a central midfield partnership where he keeps his position well.
If he can move deeper and a touch more central like Nemanja Matic, which won’t take too much coaching, and execute more defensive actions then a midfield of Pogba, Van de Beek, and Fernandes could be a real possibility.
The fact that Matic has hardly been a tackling/intercepting machine for the entirety of his spell with United, would also suggest Solskjaer might consider this an option, and that’s without placing too much emphasis on Scott McTominay and Fred who are more defensive and also have unique roles, with the latter used primarily in games where pressing is needed.
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How Manchester United could look with Van de Beek
4-2-3-1
Given both United and Ajax used this formation last season, it’s likely to be the one we see the most.
You would expect Solskjaer to retain his front four, who were lethal prior to the Europa League finals but switch it up just behind.
Van de Beek would play on the right of the two but get forward a lot more than Pogba in a more box-to-box role as we saw him in at Ajax.
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His French teammate would then cover behind centrally and shield the backline, while we could see a diminished offensive output from full-backs Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka to balance out the attacking midfield trio.
If Solskjaer does wish to add some extra steel then McTominay could come in for Pogba, while with the addition of Van de Beek we will see extra rotation to combat fatigue.
4-3-3
If Solskjaer really wants to attack a team in a low block, this might be the formation he’ll go for.
McTominay can drop between his two centre-backs pushing Shaw and Wan-Bissaka forward, allowing Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Fernandes, and Van de Beek to play closer together.
Pogba is the man sacrificed but he provides a versatile substitute which will favour Solksjaer should the game not be going in his side’s favour.
3-4-2-1
At points, especially in the Europa League, United swapped to a five-man defence.
This was, ordinarily, a 3-4-1-2 with Martial, Rashford, Greenwood, or Daniel James making up the strike partnership.
With Van de Beek, though, this could get a tweak with just one forward up top and one dropping off into a support role alongside the Dutchman.
Here the duo can both create and get into the box and on the end of chances create by Fernandes and Pogba, who will be backed up by the three-man defence.
August 31, 2020 at 06:23PM Premier League Football Fixtures and Results - talkSPORT https://talksport.com
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