Donny van de Beek’s days at Manchester United are numbered. Paul Ince fears that, after the former Ajax player was substituted after one half in the Champions League match with Young Boys.
Van de Beek was finally allowed to start for United again on Tuesday in Switzerland, but after a red card from Aaron Wan-Bissaka, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decided to victimize him for central defender Raphaël Varane. According to Ince, it is a sign on the wall that the 24-year-old Dutchman was replaced.
The former England international, who played 206 times for United himself, thinks Van de Beek’s chances of a breakthrough at Old Trafford have been lost. “There is absolutely no chance anymore,” he tells The United Stand. “Solskjaer tried to please him by fielding him. When you’re not playing it’s always hard to impress right away. If you switch him at half time… what does that say? What does that say to Donny?”
“If I can’t play a whole game against Young Boys, ten men or not, it’s time for me to go”, Ince puts himself in Van de Beek’s shoes. “There is nothing Ole could say to convince me that my future is with Manchester United. I wish it were because it is the biggest club in the world, but he has to play.”
Ince sees that Van de Beek is at the back of the pecking order. “Scott McTominay is back, Nemanja Matic – who I think is very good – is back. You still have Fred and Jesse Lingard. And Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba will always play. The signals are there, I expect Van de Beek leaves in January. Whether it’s on loan or a transfer, they won’t get back the money they paid for him.”
Ince sympathizes with Van de Beek. “I’m sorry for him. He seems like a nice boy, an exemplary professional, but he will now see that his fate is sealed.” United transferred forty million to Ajax last year.
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