Seriously? Have you not watched Lingard and McTominay?
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Pretty much agree with this assessment, it begs the question why United bought him in the first place?
Although the way the game is going these days, (patterns of play) it will be just as hard in the future to get anyone 'squeezed' into a new role in a different pattern of play, especially if that player's freedom to operate at will in a previous team role was a constant and/or their 'weaknesses', in the new role, will get more exposed.
'Horses for courses' was perhaps never more appropriate in top class football we already are seeing the 'sweeper keeper' employed... how long before we see the 'specialist penalty taker' or the 'specialist corner/free kick taker being brought on (like field goal kickers in the US game)... Mass market (Amazon/Netflix/Disney +) Super League football is coming.... whether we like it or not!
Just didn't do anything right yesterday. All I could think was the difference Eriksen would make in place of Donny
Expensive back up when academy options are champing for games. We need to buy more players, so it feels like a waste to let the likes of Van de Beek depreciate in value any further.
Lingard at least ran around a lot before giving the ball away. And scored 1 in 7 for United, compared to Van de Beek's 1 in 25 ratio.
I know I know goal to minute ratio will be different but who can be bothered to check and it's unlikely to make a significant different
Ya, i have. And that he's in the same breath as them is indicative of how poor he is
Watching his performances Its hard to figure out exactly what role Donny is being asked to fill?
At times from his body language he looks like a 12 year old having a kick-about with a group of 16 year old's, and just trying to get the odd kick, now and then!
I haven't seen a lot of footage of his days with Ajax, but when I have he always seemed to be one of two or three interchangeable mid fielders, who would pass and move in 1's and 2' and also in trio-formation, its how they 'got up the pitch'. The best bits I remember from his sparse appearances at OT, were when he played the 'pass and move' with Matic, directly up and down the middle of the pitch and on a very few occasions with Mata, where they would together work it in from the sides, with some pivots and with close passing towards the edge of the box... but these moments were rare indeed, but stuck in the mind because of such rarity.
Presumably everything will be better once a certain Mr F. De Jong decides to join us
At times from his body language he looks like a 12 year old having a kick-about with a group of 16 year old's, and just trying to get the odd kick, now and then!
I haven't seen a lot of footage of his days with Ajax, but when I have he always seemed to be one of two or three interchangeable mid fielders, who would pass and move in 1's and 2' and also in trio-formation, its how they 'got up the pitch'. The best bits I remember from his sparse appearances at OT, were when he played the 'pass and move' with Matic, directly up and down the middle of the pitch and on a very few occasions with Mata, where they would together work it in from the sides, with some pivots and with close passing towards the edge of the box... but these moments were rare indeed, but stuck in the mind because of such rarity.
Presumably everything will be better once a certain Mr F. De Jong decides to join us
Can't say I have ever seen him do that at United.Watching his performances Its hard to figure out exactly what role Donny is being asked to fill?
At times from his body language he looks like a 12 year old having a kick-about with a group of 16 year old's, and just trying to get the odd kick, now and then!
I haven't seen a lot of footage of his days with Ajax, but when I have he always seemed to be one of two or three interchangeable mid fielders, who would pass and move in 1's and 2' and also in trio-formation, its how they 'got up the pitch'. The best bits I remember from his sparse appearances at OT, were when he played the 'pass and move' with Matic, directly up and down the middle of the pitch and on a very few occasions with Mata, where they would together work it in from the sides, with some pivots and with close passing towards the edge of the box... but these moments were rare indeed, but stuck in the mind because of such rarity.
Presumably everything will be better once a certain Mr F. De Jong decides to join us
76% pass accuracy for a player who rarely passes the ball forward and even more rarely passes the ball to a player further than a metre away is insanely bad.
Bad day for Donny yesterday after a good day in the previous game.
He'll do well if he gets a run of games in the same position. If we sign Frenkie then there's less of a chance of that happening, but if we don't, he'll get a chance to bed down a position for once.
He'll do well if he gets a run of games in the same position. If we sign Frenkie then there's less of a chance of that happening, but if we don't, he'll get a chance to bed down a position for once.
Still remember everyone pretending like Ajax were doing us a favor by giving us little cutie Van de Beek for cheap. In reality they robbed us of £34m. This guy isn't worth it on a free transfer and deserves to be paid no more than the cleaners and tea ladies. Offers feck all.
Virtually every player has shown improvement in a short amount of time, except for him. Doesn't matter if it's a friendly or not, he's not up to scratch.
Ok, now that United play in a system where he should thrive and under a coach he had flourished, if he can't prove his worth, it really is the end of the road for Donny.
Under the right guidance and the right system, with a coach to support him and players to enhance his style of play, VDB can absolutely be a lethal cricket player
Doesn't have the power or the running between wickets, unless he is going to be an offie.
Only way to get anything out of Donny IMO is to play him right behind the striker as his biggest strength seems to be timing his runs into the box and is a decent finisher.
He seems more and more ineffective the further he is from the striker.
He seems more and more ineffective the further he is from the striker.
Feel sorry for him. If you barely play for a couple of years it's not a surprise that you will stall as a player.
Or, you stalled as a player and hence barely played for a couple of years.
I've been harsh on VDB but even I believe we need to give him a proper run of games to judge him. If anyone can bring out the best in him, it's ETH. If ETH doesn't play him and gives hope on him, no point keeping him.
He's never shown anything of substance even in flashes to hope he will come good. He runs about but generally takes up wrong positions to receive the ball. Some coaches and observers would say that's hiding from the ball. If EtH can't get a tune out of him this will be his last season to prove himself in the Premier League.
But that's how he played vs Villa. He barely stayed in central midfield, he was so high up the pitch Bruno was playing deeper than van de Beek. We effectively played one man midfield (Fred).
I don't see how we will ever benefit from that setup, maybe in last 10 mins of the game but if other players are not looking for him with a pass, makes no sense to have him on the pitch surely?
I was excited to see him in midfield, but it was only on paper formation.
If that role ever exist at united I'll give it to a forward, one who has a range of finish and will guarantee 20+ goal.
He's quite clearly a system player which is difficult to impress in when you were bought by a manager who didn't appear to have any sort of system at all. He's barely had a chance to prove what he can do in the system he's made for. United was the completely wrong club for him.
In this scenario it would need to be for a team who have a solid midfield behind him and can afford to play him behind the striker, which i accept probably isn't happening at United
Yeah i agree. I just think it's Donny's best role, but it likely won't happen at United.
Well exactly. We're not missing players in no10/AM/second striker position, we're missing midfielders so that's another bizarre decision on how to use vdb.
I have heard this on numerous occasions and don't get that sort of reasoning. He's a professional football player costing millions and at a minimum should be able to adapt to a degree, even if he hasn't played a role similar at his previous club.
Dunno, some players just fit different systems and managers. Hence why people like Salah and KDB didn't impress much at Chelsea but became immense at Liverpool and City respectively or Lukaku failed at Chelsea/United but was immense at Everton/Inter.
One thing is not impressing another is showing absolutely nothing.
I disagree that he has shown absolutely nothing.
Ok, what qualities have you seen?
Both players mentioned were very young and Chelsea did not have the patience or time for them to develop. VdB is an international and should be in peak years.
Good passing range, dictating tempo, positive forward play. I think he is trying the right things in his game and we saw a little of that at Everton too. Unfortunately at United he didn’t have the right manager previously to coach the other players into playing that way too (passing triangles etc) and at Everton our players weren’t capable of it. With better coaching and a different team that plays to his strengths I think he’d be fine. My view on him is mostly judged on his time at Everton where I saw these qualities of him.
KDB and Salah joined Chelsea in their early 20s- 21/22. VDB joined you at 23.
Lukaku joined United and Chelsea at 24 and 28. Seemingly United haven’t had the patience for VDB either.
I'll take your word for it as I haven't seen this qualities myself. Either way he'll be here this season under a manager who knows his strength and whose system he excelled under in the Dutch league so we'll see if he can do it in the premier over the course of this season.
I really don't think he does many of the things you have suggested. At least not in a Utd shirt, I don't know about for Ajax.
His passing range is poor. It's one of the most annoying things about his play, for a guy that was built up by his backers as the technical option steeped in the Ajax school in contrast to McFred. All his passes are unambitious and over short distances. Some downright take the sting out of any forward momentum.
I don't see how you can dictate tempo at the rate he gets into positions to receive the football. You have to be brave to do that. By extension he's also not very positive. Maybe he was for Everton, I don't know, but for us he either goes missing in the middle of the pitch or plays so high he's hiding behind the opposition CB. Very odd play.
But at least they didn't cost £40million.
But... but... but he just needs the right manager..... to build the team around him. He just doesn't get enough opportunities to shine.
Even feckin Bebe has moments where you think that there is something there. With Donnie, you can look for hours and yet find nothing. Just the same blendness like his ol' pasty pale face.
He is Tom Cleverley in disguise isnt he?
Even Cleverley had his moments. Just too far and few in-between. I seriously can't think of one moment of individual brilliance from Donnie in the last 2 years.
I was given a Rorschach test of Donnie, my response would be that many claims that he has never been given enough opportunities by the last 3 1/2 managers.
He does what McTominay does, hiding from the ball. Except in his version it's by running all the way upfield to where only prime Xavi would be able to find him with a pass.
How the heck do we unlock this fella
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