Donny van de Beek will be hoping to be given unlikely start vs Aston Villa

Add as preferred source on Google

Donny van de Beek hasn’t started a Premier League match since March when he started Everton’s 1-0 defeat against Wolves at Molineux.

Coincidentally the 25-year-old’s last top-flight start for Manchester United came against Wolves on the last day of the 2020-21 season.

United’s number 34 made his first start for the Red Devils since December 2021 against Real Sociedad on Thursday evening.

Prior to being given a surprise start in San Sebastian, the 19-time Netherlands international’s last start for the twenty-time league champions came in the Champions League against Young Boys under interim boss Ralf Rangnick.

But with attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes suspended for today’s trip to Aston Villa after picking up his fifth Premier League booking of the season against West Ham United, the former Ajax star will once again be hoping to be given a chance to show his qualities playing as a number ten.

Donny van de Beek will be hoping to be given unlikely start vs Aston Villa

Following the Dutchman’s start against La Reale, Erik ten Hag labelled his compatriot’s performance “decent”, but the 52-year-old was under no illusion that Van de Beek can do better.

Speaking via The Mirror, Ten Hag said: “I know he can do better because I know him very well, but he delivered what I expected on Thursday in terms of positioning and also pressing, in terms of transition.

“I think he can do more, and his biggest quality is that he can be more of a threat to the opponents’ goal.

“Last week he came, and I think he played very well, 50 minutes, and I think this game [Real Sociedad] was a decent performance.”

Fernandes being ruled out of the trip to Villa Park may result in Scott McTominay or Fred coming into the side and partnering Casemiro in midfield with Christian Eriksen playing further forward.

But Van de Beek will be hoping that his former Ajax manager is tempted to throw his fellow countryman into his first Premier League start for United in 18 months.

Ten Hag’s favoured midfield trio looks to be Casemiro, Eriksen and Fernandes, but with United’s number eight unavailable for the trip to Birmingham, an unlikely opportunity may present itself to Van de Beek.

If Ten Hag wants to replace Fernandes with a goal threat in midfield, then Van de Beek could get the nod over Fred and McTominay.

During Van de Beek’s time playing under Ten Hag at Ajax, the midfielder averaged a direct goal involvement in every other game with 32 goals 29 assists from 114 matches.

His form in Amsterdam under Ten Hag prompted United to splash out £35m to bring him to the Theatre of Dreams.

Sadly, since moving to Manchester, Van de Beek hasn’t been able to establish himself in the United side, but maybe another out of the blue chance to impress at Villa could prove to be the catalyst in him hitting lift off on his Manchester United career.