It took until the 38th Premier League game of the season to see the real Donny van de Beek.
To be fair to the Dutchman, the game against Wolves was just his fourth Premier League start, and the third time he had completed all 90 minutes.
Van de Beek excelled playing in a two-man midfield alongside Nemanja Matic.
Unlike the recent game against Leicester in this role, Van de Beek had more influence, against a Wolves side which was also happy to sit deep.
Van de Beek won the penalty for United’s winning goal, after he was fouled running across the box at the end of the first half. Juan Mata scored the winner on what could be his final appearance for the club.
Encouraging
It has been a hard season for Van de Beek as he has only played 515 minutes of league football out of a possible 3,420.
This was his best league performance of the season and offers some encouragement he could have a bright future at United.
Van de Beek completed 89 per cent of his passes, showing a composure often lacking from Fred and Scott McTominay in their recent performances.
The pair are still most likely to start the Europa League final, or Paul Pogba could play in the role, but Van de Beek has at least put himself in the conversation if there are fitness issues with Fred or McTominay.
Van de Beek has plenty more to offer, which he can only show with regular playing time, to help both his sharpness and confidence.
The performance at Molineux offered some optimism for next season that the Dutchman could have a far bigger role…
Reaction
Here is a look at how United supporters reaction to Van de Beek’s performance…
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