Man Utd flop Donny van de Beek within rights to demand transfer after Granada snub

Man Utd: Van de Beek backed to succeed by de Boer

If Donny van de Beek is not deemed worthy of a start tonight against Granada, will he ever be deemed good enough by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer? The Manchester United boss has been banging the same drum for months, Van de Beek still has a place at United but things will take time.

You cannot imagine what this may have done to the player’s confidence, particularly ahead of the European Championships this summer.

A year ago, Van de Beek was a man in demand with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus all amongst the names in contention to sign him.

Two years ago he was bossing the likes of Real Madrid, Juve and Tottenham in the Champions League knockout stages. It has been some fall from grace.

For those who have walked the same path, joining United is supposed to be the pinnacle but Van de Beek’s £34million switch from Ajax last September has seen his career go up in smoke.

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Donny van de Beek’s career is going nowhere at Man Utd (Image: GETTY)

He is now considered the club’s sixth choice midfielder and with the Europa League quarter-final with Granada virtually put to bed, you’d think this could be the chance to boost Van de Beek’s confidence.

United have still gone strong but Solskjaer has summoned the likes of Axel Tuanzebe, Alex Telles and Nemanja Matic for tonight’s meeting as he shuffles his pack.

His selection once again feeds into the notion that Van de Beek will not be considered to play all the while Bruno Fernandes is in the side.

The Portuguese’s quality is undeniable but Van de Beek has also played as the No 8 before with Ajax.

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Solskjaer appears apprehensive to play with both – although it has happened on several occasions this season – which begs the question, did United even need Van de Beek?

The deal was signed off with the view that United’s squad depth was an area that needed strengthening.

The acquisition helped achieve exactly that but it almost feels like Solskjaer is unwilling to trust the Dutchman.

He has made just two starts in 31 Premier League matches this season for United while the majority of his minutes have come in cup competitions.

Granted, he is yet to showcase exactly why United fought off a host of European giants to land his services but Van de Beek appears to be playing in fear.

He knows he’s an easy target when it comes to substitutions, particularly with competition for places fierce.

But Van de Beek needs a run of games to truly display his quality, something he is now unlikely to ever get.

Solskjaer claims there is still time for things to work out for the 23-year-old but why would he want to stay?

Van de Beek has barely been used this season by Man Utd boss Solskjaer (Image: GETTY)

Yes, United look strong and are making huge strides under Solskjaer but ultimately, Van de Beek must put his happiness first.

In Amsterdam, he played week in, week out and when that’s taken away it must hurt.

Fortunately, Van de Beek looks set to keep his place in the Holland side ahead of this summer’s major tournament but with other clubs set to come calling, it’s easy to see why he may consider his options.

His latest snub against Granada means he is well within his rights to pursue an early exit from Old Trafford. It seems unlikely he’ll ever be fancied by Solskjaer…