Donny van de Beek: How will the £40m signing fit in at Manchester United?

Manchester United are closing in on their first signing of the summer as Donny van de Beek nears a move to Old Trafford.

Standard Sport understands that talks progressed significantly between United and Ajax over the weekend, with the 23-year-old midfielder set to sign a long-term contract in a £40million transfer deal.

Barcelona and Real Madrid have also been interested in Van de Beek, but United have firmed up their long-standing interest in the Netherlands international to beat the Clasico rivals to his signature.

Having watched Chelsea spend big money already this summer - with more expected to be spent - the deal will come as a relief to both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and United fans as the Red Devils prepare to build on last season's top-three Premier League finish.

With United under pressure to close the gap to Liverpool and Manchester City while also juggling midweek Champions League football, Van de Beek looks a strong acquisition given his age, price tag and experience.

So, what sort of player are United getting for their £40m?

Vital statistics

First and foremost, Van de Beek is a midfielder with a goal threat who is also extremely consistent.

According to Opta, Van de Beek has played more games for Ajax than any other player in the last three seasons.

In the same time frame, only Dusan Tadic and new Chelsea signing Hakim Ziyech have notched more goals and assists for the club.

In the 2019/20 season, the 23-year-old provided eight goals and five assists in 23 Eredivisie appearances, thriving as a link man in between the lines, supporting forwards and driving into the box himself.

As for the Champions League, Van de Beek scored twice and added another assist as Ajax went out in the group stages, while he scored four in the KNVB Cup.

That left Van de Beek with 14 goals and seven assists from 34 appearances in 2019/20.

Additionally, a recent Ajax highlights reel of his top 10 goals for the club shows he is comfortable shooting with either foot anywhere around the box, which - like Mason Greenwood - adds unpredictability to his game.

A breather for Bruno?

Goals and assists are always welcome, but United fans may initially be forgiven for questioning why Solskjaer is signing a player who - on the face of it - appears to play a similar role to Bruno Fernandes.

Solskjaer could argue that Bruno is precisely the reason why Van de Beek is being signed: the Portuguese turned United's season around, but the team became overly reliant on him during the run-in, with the January signing playing on while clearly exhausted.

Solskjaer was reluctant to deviate from his tried-and-trusted first XI, even when games weren't going to plan. It is apparent that the United boss does not fully trust the options he has on his bench to change a game, and Van de Beek will offer a valuable alternative.

Another reason is that given the quick turnaround following the coronavirus shutdown and United's Europa League run, fitness and squad options will be more important than ever - particularly during the winter months when United are juggling Premier League and Champions League football.

Rivals Chelsea have seriously strengthened and should be able to cope with players losing form or being injured; should a key player like Bruno suffer similarly, Solskjaer needs quality options.

With United also struggling in their negotiations for Borussia Dortmund's £108m-rated Jadon Sancho, and with Aston Villa's Jack Grealish valued at around £70-£80m, a £40m deal for a Champions League-experienced international is good value for money.

Van de Beek's arrival would also allow Solskjaer to seriously consider selling the likes of benchwarmers Jesse Lingard and Andreas Pereira to raise money for the likes of Sancho or Grealish.

Central role

But Van de Beek will not just be a back-up to Bruno. According to WhoScored, 20 of his 30 appearances in the Eredivisie, Champions League and Europa League last term came in central midfield, scoring six and creating another six in that position with an average rating of 7.36.

Van de Beek is also comfortable playing either in front or behind the central midfield: he scored three goals in six performances as a defensive midfielder with a 7.54 rating. Just three performances came directly in an attacking midfield role, with a goal, an assist and a rating of 7.26.

While Solskjaer will have his own plans for Van de Beek, his 2019/20 stats suggest he will be a classic 'number six', competing for game time with the likes of Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Fred and Scott McTominay in the holding pair behind Bruno, and likely standing in for the Portuguese in games United expect to dominate.

Big-game experience

Van de Beek is by no means a veteran, but he is joining a young squad which currently lacks experience in top-level games.

United did finish third and beat a host of top sides last season, but three semi-finals defeats - in the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup - show this team has much to learn about winning when they are not at their best.

At 23, Van de Beek has won the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup with Ajax, while also finishing as a Europa League runner-up to - you guessed it - United in 2017. He would also likely have lifted another league title had the Dutch season not been curtailed due to Covid-19.

The Dutch giants were also seconds away from the 2018/19 Champions League Final before Tottenham's late comeback in Amsterdam, and Van de Beek's performances that year saw him finish a respectable joint-28th in the 2019 Ballon d'Or race.

United are getting a young player with valuable experience of some of the biggest games in European football, who has lifted trophies and is now ready to test himself in a stronger league.

Potential problems

One question mark will be whether Van de Beek can handle the rigours of Premier League football, with suggestions that he will need to build his strength to compete.

There are some question marks over his passing as well.

Van de Beek looks to link up around the box, which lowers his passing accuracy - 78.8 per cent in the Champions League this season - and consequently, United fans should expect the possibility of some loose, and even risky exchanges as he adapts to the speed of English football.

Bang for your buck

Still, his appearance levels over the last three years mark out his consistency in terms of injuries - a quality Solskjaer values highly in new signings.

Harry Maguire played every Premier League minute of the 2019/20 campaign, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka not far behind - and Bruno was a near ever-present following his arrival.

One thing that is clear is that Van de Beek will have plenty of support from the Netherlands on his next step. One player who started at Ajax and also played in England - Rafael van der Vaart - believes Van de Beek is ready for Old Trafford.

"Donny deserves this transfer so much," the Tottenham cult hero told NOS in the Netherlands. "He has played excellent for Ajax.

"And Manchester United really need this kind of player in their team."

On balance, Donny van de Beek appears to be the right player, at the right price, at the right time for Manchester United.

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