De Boer agrees with Solskjaer, as he weighs in on Man Utd star’s struggle
Netherlands head coach Frank de Boer has said that Donny van de Beek must not grow tired of waiting for a run in the Manchester United team.
The Dutch midfielder has struggled for game time since his move to Old Trafford from Ajax in July.
While he has made five Premier League appearances, they have amounted to only 74 minutes of action. What’s more, he has only made four starts in all competitions and has completed just one 90-minute stint.
Despite his domestic struggles, though, Van de Beek continues to play an important role for the Netherlands. He has played 90 minutes in two of the last three games.
Indeed, he netted the equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Italy in his country’s most recent match. Speaking in a press conference, De Boer insisted that the midfielder will get his deserved United game time.
Asked if he wanted to hug Van de Beek to give him support, he said: “I can’t hug him right now of course! I try to give him as much confidence as possible, which I showed by starting him against Italy.
“I think he did well in the games he played, I saw him a few times at United. He’s doing well, but they have a great midfield with (Bruno) Fernandes, (Paul) Pogba, Fred, (Scott) McTominay and (Nemanja) Matic.
“It’s difficult, but I’m sure he will play his minutes. I can understand he wants to feature more frequently, but on the other hand, it’s always normal that you have to adapt when you go to a new league.
“Let’s hope he will get his playing time. I am happy that he’s well-rested. We can use him here.”
Solskjaer, De Boer agree
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De Boer’s comments about adapting to English football echo those from United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Norwegian coach said last week that Van de Beek will play a “big, big part” as his team’s campaign progresses.
He added: “But you have to know that you don’t have to start the first three games to be a very important player in a squad. I would be disappointed if some of my teammates said I wasn’t important at Man Utd.
“But I didn’t start many games, so Donny is going to be very important for us. Don’t worry about that.”
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