Manchester United

Manchester United: Mark Goldbridge reacts to Donny van de Beek Transfer Rumours

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Image for Manchester United: Mark Goldbridge reacts to Donny van de Beek Transfer Rumours

Manchester United fan and Youtuber Mark Goldbridge has labelled recent reports that suggest Donny van de Beek could swap Old Trafford for Barcelona as ‘sad’, as he believes the midfielder could very much fancy the rumoured switch.

According to Catalan outlet Sport, the Dutchman would be keen on turning out for the La Liga giants.

Van De Beek was signed from Ajax last summer for £35million, but after one whole season at Old Trafford, it seems that the Dutch international is yet to win over Ole Gunnar Solskjær and his coaching staff.

The former Ajax midfielder only featured in half of United’s Premier League games as he notched just one goal and one assist. Operating primarily as centre-midfielder, Ole Gunnar Solskjær preferred to stick with his tried and trusted midfield, predominantly consisting of Scott McTominay and Fred.

Speaking on the United Stand’s YouTube channel, Goldbridge had this to say on Van de Beek’s situation:

“To me, it would be a big mistake to let Van de Beek go. However, would you blame him if he was pushing a move? I mean, Barcelona – he probably fancies that more than Man United at the moment.

“He probably quite fancies the Dutch revolution over there; [Frenkie] De Jong is there, Memphis Depay is going to be there. He probably feels that they play a better brand of football, probably feels that they’re going to treat him better.

“Could you blame Donny van de Beek if there was anything in this? If Barcelona are looking for another midfielder, and let’s be honest, [Georginio] Wijnaldum was what they wanted – Dutch as well, he’s gone to PSG – maybe that Van de Beek to Barcelona thing isn’t as ridiculous as some people might think.

“There might be a willingness from Van de Beek, a willingness from Barcelona, and you know what, I don’t want to say it – there might be a willingness from Solskjær to do it. I’d just be very sad about this.”

TIF Thoughts on Donny van de Beek potentially going to Barcelona…

For whatever reason, it just seems like Van de Beek has been unable to impress Solskjær and his coaching staff during his one year at Manchester United so far. It seems very odd considering he was a player that was part of that fantastic Ajax side that reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.

It seems like after this past season, it could be even harder for him to force his way through as United finished second in the Premier League, their highest placing since the 2017/2018 season – which may lead Solskjaer to improve his side rather than dip into his current alternatives.

Currently valued at £27million, a year away at Barcelona could give Van de Beek the confidence he needs to come back and break into the Manchester United team. As Goldbridge alludes to in his video, a lot of his Dutch international teammates are at Barcelona and that could help him massively.

However, it would be a shame to see the Premier League a great talent, if he was to make the switch to Spain.

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