Ex-Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick has urged his former side to replace Donny van de Beek with Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans.
As reported by the BBC at the time of the transfer, Man United agreed a deal worth a potential £40M to sign van de Beek from Ajax. Based on his performances both domestically and in Europe over recent seasons, that was a price worth paying.
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However, van de Beek has been almost completely frozen out by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, being given a rare opportunity to start against Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter-final, and showing very few signs of revival.
With van de Beek’s acquisition intended to be an investment which would strengthen Man United’s midfield, and that not really having worked out for anyone involved, it would be no great surprise if the club looked to sign another midfielder this summer.
The prospect of that happening has been discussed by ex-Red Luke Chadwick during an exclusive interview with CaughtOffside, during which he raised his concerns over van de Beek’s suitability for United.
“I do worry for van de Beek if Ole can’t find him a position somewhere else in the team. I don’t think Fernandes is the sort of player who is going to get a lot of rest, he wants to be one of the best in the world and play every game and probably could play every game with the fitness levels that he’s shown.”
“I do have real concerns over where Van de Beek fits into the team. He’s been here for one full season, you sort of want him to do well after seeing what he can do at Ajax, but you do feel maybe his time at the club could be coming to an end.”
Chadwick continued, as quoted by CaughtOffside, suggesting that the club ought to explore the possibility of signing Youri Tielemans, who scored for Leicester against United on Sunday afternoon.
“Quite often we see players play well against United and we think ‘could we get him and could he do well in our team’ and I think he’s got all the attributes to be a Manchester United player, but he’s playing for Leicester, another top club. Would they be able to prise him away?”
“Looking at United’s options in that area of the pitch, he’s very similar to Pogba. He’s an exciting player that might be worth looking into bringing in, but as with other top players it could be a challenge to get them through the door at United.”
United would likely have to break the bank to get Tielemans through the door, with the club also unlikely to get much of the reported £40M they paid for van de Beek returned through his sale.
This hasn’t worked out particularly well for the Red Devils, has it?