Donny van de Beek should replace Fred in Manchester United’s team

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Donny van de Beek is not going to usurp Bruno Fernandes in Manchester United’s starting line-up.

Even when the Dutchman starts ahead of his Portuguese teammate, Van de Beek knows it is the exception rather than the rule.

United’s £40million summer signing (BBC) was bought as backup to Old Trafford’s newest superstar. But even he would have been hoping for more from his first year in England.

Van de Beek’s latest outing came in the FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Leicester.

It was a game that promised much, after the 23-year-old’s brilliant dummy prior to Mason Greenwood’s strike. Yet that was as good as it got for United. They lost 3-1 and the knives were out once more.

Van de Beek may have been replaced by Fernandes – as is becoming habit – but it was another United player who looked woeful throughout. And we wonder if one could soon replace the other in the starting line-up.

Fred has come a long way since his inauspicious start at United. However, the Brazilian was terrible last weekend.

Time and again, he gave the ball away. The warning signs were there even before he gifted the hosts their opener. And it was bizarre that he stayed on the field when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made a quadruple substitution just after the hour-mark.

Fred’s role is to get the ball to his teammates and remain composed under pressure. He fell alarmingly short last time out and has flattered to deceive on other occasions.

So what chance a reprieve for Van de Beek in a deeper role?

The Dutchman knows how to pass better than most. He is also calm with the ball at his feet and could offer more confidence than his error-prone teammate.

Some United fans feel Van de Beek would benefit in a deeper role and it is a chance worth taking.

A sensible alternative

Nemanja Matic is not the answer and Fred has had plenty of chances. Just because Fernandes is one of the first names on United’s team-sheet doesn’t mean an immediate sub role for Van de Beek?

It is time for a rethink at United. There is still work to be done to finish in the top four and the Europa League is there for the taking.

Playing Van de Beek and Fernandes in the same starting XI is not as far-fetched as some would have you believe.

United’s £40million man does things with the ball that others can’t. He also does the simple stuff. And that makes him the ideal replacement for a waning Fred as the Red Devils fight for silverware come May.