[groovyalbert]

Needs to be integrated in more.

Clearly good but just not in tune with his team mates. Reminds of the kid at school who joins the game at lunch late and gets in the way trying to do too much

 

[el3mel]

Bruno was in sync with his teammates in his very first game. The system isn't his, and I think he lacks quality. We should have saved the money, play Mata in his role of 5-10 minute substitute and got Grealish this summer.

That's why Bruno is world class though.

 

[tayside red]

Made the right runs but we kept going to the wings. Wish someone played the ball to his feet . If someone can make a video of runs and movements he made , you would realize that.
He won't make it here . We just don't play that kind of game to suit his strengths. Shame !

Exactly how I saw it, he was playing on the last man all the time, constantly looking for the ball, making runs and never getting played through, shame for the boy
He's being asked to play in a position that doesn't show him at his best, even if he does get the ball in the box, he'd either have to shoot or lay the ball off, again not showing us what he can do - it's a hard one to tell what we're going to do with him ?

 

[onemanarmy]

That's why Bruno is world class though.

Yes, and Bruno's level is the level of players we need for a title run. VDB isn't, clearly. An expensive mistake imo.

 

[The United]

Ultimately VDB is now caught in the "Doesn't play much - gets a chance with huge pressure on to do everything possible to impress - can't do it - back to the bench - doesn't play much - gets one chance .. " etc loop.

Not sure honestly how he can get out of it. To synch with your teammates you actually need to play a lot with them first.

He does not play much because he does not do much in the games that he plays?

 

[sillwuka]

He either drops too deep or plays too high up. I'm baffled on how we can integrate him into our system now..

 

[el3mel]

Yes, and Bruno's level is the level of players we need for a title run. VDB isn't, clearly. An expensive mistake imo.

I'm pretty sure no one really expected VDB to be of the same level as Bruno when we signed him. The whole current situation is worse than what was expected, which was mostly to be useful player in the squad either starting or from the bench.

 

[el3mel]

He does not play much because he does not do much in the games that he plays?

I mean it's ultimately a loop. He'll need to play more to get in form and synch with his teammates, not the one off game from time to time.

Fred was the same. Fred only really started to become a useful player when we were forced to play him regularly several matches in a row first half of last season due to injuries. He started like shit but the more he played the more he became better and better.

 

[onemanarmy]

I'm pretty sure no one really expected VDB to be of the same level as Bruno when we signed him. The whole current situation is worse than what was expected, which was mostly to be useful player in the squad either starting or from the bench.

I know, that's why I was never in favor of signing him The role he currently plays could have been Mata or some other squad player while saving the funds for a push at Sancho or Grealish.

 

[SilentWitness]

I don't understand what he's good at.

 

[GlasgowCeltic]

I doubt Ole will ever be fully comfy with the idea of him in a two and the loss of physicality or perceived defensive strength it would provide

 

[The Mitcher]

The game was easy, but he himself was definitely under pressure to impress massively in such game if he wants to actually get more chances.

That's a Donny problem.

 

[Lassitude42]

Mediocre player from a pretty mediocre Ajax team

No idea why he was playing as a CF - totally anonymous. Seems to lack character and drive. Lightweight. Get rid

 

[tomaldinho1]

I mean it's ultimately a loop. He'll need to play more to get in form and synch with his teammates, not the one off game from time to time.

Fred was the same. Fred only really started to become a useful player when we were forced to play him regularly several matches in a row first half of last season. He started like shit but the more he played the more he became better and better.

This is true. If we think VdB is bad, let's remember just how awful Fred was. VdB will only be able to be judged fairly if he gets a run of games and starts which seems almost impossible - having said that the same seemed true with Fred.

I still think he could displace McT given the chance but I can't see us changing style under Ole and so he won't, we'll stay super direct and keep the limited but physical double pivot.

 

[tayside red]

I doubt Ole will ever be fully comfy with the idea of him in a two and the loss of physicality or perceived defensive strength it would provide

look how much Scott has come on in the last couple of years, give him time, he may develop into a real player

 

[Terranova]

It looked like our players were actively avoiding him...

I've been critical, but he's not gonna be at his best when he gets to few minutes, tbf.

They really were...
The only way he would've gotten the ball more if he stole it from his teammates.

I've seen him play for almost all of his professional matches, tonight he's been doing the same thing as he always does. Maybe a bit more up the pitch. Always making himself available for a pass or making a run like he used to do at Ajax.
But clearly most United players are unwilling make those passes. I've seen a few tries to get the ball to him, but they always fail.

He does not play much because he does not do much in the games that he plays?

Because he's being ignored? How hard is that to see?

People here expect a completely different player, which is their fault, not his.
He's good at keeping possesion in the midfield which in turn creates room for the ball to progress to the forwards. So deep in the midfield he's never going to be spectacular. But when his runs are being ignored he's never going to "shine".

He's playing the typical Dutch passing game really well. Recieve the ball, get the opponent to run towards you and then pass back(or to another teammate nearby) who then can pass into the created space. It's a basic triangle passing combination. Works really well for Ajax and the Dutch national team. But won't work well if he's the only one trying to play that way.

So all he has to offer is his trade mark runs into the box, which are being ignored.

But for some reason people think that a player that has played well for the Dutch NT and in the latter stages of the champions league is lacking skill to do anything with the ball...

 

[MAME DIOUF 32]

Quite an achievement to have such a nothing game in a 9-0 win.

 

[bosnian_red]

He has talent but he doesn't get involved and is too willing to stay on the fringes of the games and let others do things. He's never going to amount to anything if he doesn't want to take a bigger role. Just 17 touches in 45 minutes, as a CM in a pure dominance game.

 

[Devil may care]

Made himself available for a pass plenty of times just didn’t recieve one.

 

[Sparky_Hughes]

I like him, but then I always love a dutch player at utd, I think he will come good.

 

[bond19821982]

He has talent but he doesn't get involved and is too willing to stay on the fringes of the games and let others do things. He's never going to amount to anything if he doesn't want to take a bigger role. Just 17 touches in 45 minutes, as a CM in a pure dominance game.

He wasn't playing as a CM though. He was partnering Martial. How many touches does Martial has (genuine question) ?

 

[GledTheRed]

We scored five while he was on the pitch and he was invisible.

 

[OrcaFat]

He has a knack of running in the wrong direction. He’s tidy when he gets it but then he’ll give and go, looking for a one-two but he’ll run into a crowd of defenders.

Someone posted earlier that he’s not in tune with the team and that seems an apt summary of what’s wrong with him just now.

He also looks like he needs to be fitter and stronger, within what’s possible for his body. I think some more conditioning along with more game time will help him.

I was happy when we signed him but he is below the level I expected. Longer term, I still think he’ll be a good player for us.

 

[ReallyUSA]

Kid is alright. We've been irregularly lucky with injuries so far in the midfield, I think he will get more and more minutes as the year progresses.

 

[Obiorahking_]

This guy would look ridiculous in a prime Barca/City side that actually knows how and when to move the ball. Happy he got to play today and I'm certain that once he gets more chemistry with the guys and fully adjusts he'll prove to be a very valuable player for us even if he turns out to be a squad player.

 

[The United]

They really were...
The only way he would've gotten the ball more if he stole it from his teammates.

I've seen him play for almost all of his professional matches, tonight he's been doing the same thing as he always does. Maybe a bit more up the pitch. Always making himself available for a pass or making a run like he used to do at Ajax.
But clearly most United players are unwilling make those passes. I've seen a few tries to get the ball to him, but they always fail.

Because he's being ignored? How hard is that to see?

People here expect a completely different player, which is their fault, not his.
He's good at keeping possesion in the midfield which in turn creates room for the ball to progress to the forwards. So deep in the midfield he's never going to be spectacular. But when his runs are being ignored he's never going to "shine".

He's playing the typical Dutch passing game really well. Recieve the ball, get the opponent to run towards you and then pass back(or to another teammate nearby) who then can pass into the created space. It's a basic triangle passing combination. Works really well for Ajax and the Dutch national team. But won't work well if he's the only one trying to play that way.

So all he has to offer is his trade mark runs into the box, which are being ignored.

But for some reason people think that a player that has played well for the Dutch NT and in the latter stages of the champions league is lacking skill to do anything with the ball...

Dutch style or not. Who cares? We are talking about United. If he can't contribute enough here, he can't start.

Hard to see?

 

[Borys]

I'd imagine he should be playing in midfield alongside McTominay, but maybe in this particular game it made sense to put him high to keep confusing Southampton defenders. Problem is it seems to be confusing our players as well.

I'd rather use Mata in that role. I just don't see this working for us with van de Beek as second striker, unless we go for it regularly (which is unlikely).

Just play him in midfield, let's see if he should be a part of this team next season. Using him in that free role for 20mins every few games is not going to work.

 

[Bwuk]

I think he’s clearly a good footballer but he just doesn’t seem to fit in at all.

I wonder if he’s got the personality to play in midfield for us.

 

[spiriticon]

If he can't make himself impactful today, what chance has he got against teams who are actually defending?

I worry a little.

 

[Glorio]

Needs time to integrate into this team - which is what his manager who sees him everyday in training told anyone who was willing to listen

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Van Gaal would have loved him.

 

[Lassitude42]

This idea that because he's Dutch and from Ajax he must be great is a bit of a myth

This is an Ajax team that in 16/17 finished 2nd in the league and bottled the UEFA Cup Final 3-0 to a mediocre Mourinho Utd side. In 17/18 again they finished 2nd in the league and failed to get out of the group stages for both the Champions league and UEFA Cup. In 18/19 they won the league and got to the Champions League Semi-Finals where they bottled it against serial losers Tottenham Hotspur. And then in 19/20 they won the league, but didn't make it out of the group stages of the CL, and were knocked out in the last 32 of the UEFA Cup by Getafe.

The Dutch National team didn't qualify for the 2018 World Cup and currently sit 14th in the FIFA World Rankings.

 

[Polar]

Considering he was a Ballon d’Or nominee in 2019, his performance at United should be a surprise to everyone.

He is used to be involved a lot by other players; much of the play used to go through him. Maybe he hasn’t impressed the other players enough on the training ground yet, because the other players doesn’t involve him in their play - like he doesn’t have respect.

We have to play him deeper, together with Fred or McT, to give him a new opportunity to be more involved and better integrated in the team.

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

Van Gaal would have loved him.

LVG loved Cameron BJ & Rojo. Not a ringing endorsement!

 

[Toad]

I haven’t seen a single thing from him, I genuinely still don’t know anything about the guy and why some people are always begging for him to get game time. Every time I have seen him he has been average and contributed absolutely nothing. Am I missing something or do most have the same opinion?

 

[SalfordRed18]

Completely forgot he came on.

 

[NinjaFletch]

This idea that because he's Dutch and from Ajax he must be great is a bit of a myth

This is an Ajax team that in 16/17 finished 2nd in the league and bottled the UEFA Cup Final 3-0 to a mediocre Mourinho Utd side. In 17/18 again they finished 2nd in the league and failed to get out of the group stages for both the Champions league ' and UEFA Cup. In 18/19 they won the league and got to the Champions League Semi-Finals where they bottled it against serial losers Tottenham Hotspur. And then in 19/20 they won the league, but didn't make it out of the group stages of the CL, and were knocked out in the last 32 of the UEFA Cup by Getafe.

The Dutch National team didn't qualify for the 2018 World Cup and currently sit 14th in the FIFA World Rankings.

There's definitely a touch of emperor's new clothes about it, at the very least. Another player signed from another club and these performances are seen very differently, but there's enough of an allure about Ajax .

The longer we go with Denny nominally on the pitch but utterly anonymous the more I worry he's naked after all.

 

[Redfrog]

They really were...
The only way he would've gotten the ball more if he stole it from his teammates.

I've seen him play for almost all of his professional matches, tonight he's been doing the same thing as he always does. Maybe a bit more up the pitch. Always making himself available for a pass or making a run like he used to do at Ajax.
But clearly most United players are unwilling make those passes. I've seen a few tries to get the ball to him, but they always fail.

Because he's being ignored? How hard is that to see?

People here expect a completely different player, which is their fault, not his.
He's good at keeping possesion in the midfield which in turn creates room for the ball to progress to the forwards. So deep in the midfield he's never going to be spectacular. But when his runs are being ignored he's never going to "shine".

He's playing the typical Dutch passing game really well. Recieve the ball, get the opponent to run towards you and then pass back(or to another teammate nearby) who then can pass into the created space. It's a basic triangle passing combination. Works really well for Ajax and the Dutch national team. But won't work well if he's the only one trying to play that way.

So all he has to offer is his trade mark runs into the box, which are being ignored.

But for some reason people think that a player that has played well for the Dutch NT and in the latter stages of the champions league is lacking skill to do anything with the ball...

But he has to adapt to the team, not the other way round...
He has to play right, but we have to win...
Maybe he is getting ignored because he is not in an interesting position...I don't believe, other players doesn't want to pass to him just because...
In my opinion he slows everything down.
Some of our passing was wonderfull tonight, it was quick,tense, crisp passing full of purpose going forward. If he can't adapt to that he won't make it here.
He lack intensity and speed...
Fred was bad but he always was a machine, running like a mad man so he is a bad comparaison IMO.

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

I haven’t seen a single thing from him, I genuinely still don’t know anything about the guy and why some people are always begging for him to get game time. Every time I have seen him he has been average and contributed absolutely nothing. Am I missing something or do most have the same opinion?

same opinion. I’m not writing him off. Players need time, some more than others - but I’ve not seen anything to suggest he should be starting. He’s our 6th choice midfielder.

I’m sure it’s Dutch people who clamour for him to play.

apparently, some people think he gets better the less he plays!

based on what I’ve seen, he’s a nothing player. However, I never really saw him at Ajax. I hope he comes good. Happy to give him time.

 

[tjb]

I really dislike these possession purists. Even in the greatest Guardiola side, simply passing sideways and moving into space isn't going to get you anywhere. It's the same thing with the Dutch national team too. Makes the team look like they are operating with 10 men.