Paul Pogba’s injury could be Van de Beek’s chance to finally cement Manchester United place

There wasn’t much for Manchester United fans to take delight in when their team faced rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford at the weekend.

But there was one moment that sparked unified cheer amidst the stale football on display and the disappointment of losing 2-0 to Pep Guardiola’s side. It was the introduction of Donny van de Beek as a substitute.

The 24-year-old sparked huge fanfare when he completed a big-money move (£35m) from Ajax to Manchester United last year. However, things have so far not gone according to plan.

Despite scoring on his debut against Crystal Palace, the Dutch midfielder hasn’t really been given enough chances on the pitch. He has rarely played in the last 16 months and doesn’t seem to be in Ole Gunnar Solsjaer’s plans.

Van De Beek’s struggles with playing time

He received great applause when he came on against Manchester City in the 80th minute to replace Fred on Saturday. It was only a sign of how desperate the fans have been to see Van de Beek on the pitch.

The 24-year-old was afforded just 10 minutes against the Cityzens and there was very little he could do to change the result. That has been his story since he joined the Red Devils.

Solskjaer has never hidden his admiration for Fred and Scott McTominay and prefers the duo to Van de Beek. Paul Pogba is another player who always plays ahead of the former Ajax midfielder whenever he’s available.

For a player who is currently on a long-term contract, it didn’t look like Van de Beek will leave Manchester United anytime soon. However, with the lack of game time, there have been reports of him moving on in January. But there is now a genuine chance to fight for his position in the team.

Pogba injury means Van De Beek can feature more

The Reds have been disastrous this season, forcing Solskjaer to tweak his formation several times. The Norwegian has tried the 4-2-3-1 and 3-5-2 systems but none have effectively worked so far.

Meanwhile, Pogba is set to be ruled out for the next two months after suffering an injury while with France. The Manchester United boss will have to consider another tactical switch now after the November international break.

Pogba’s injury means, should Solskajer decide to play a 4-3-3, then Van de Beek cannot be left out. All these are hypothetical scenarios, but the Frenchman’s injury definitely increases Van de Beek’s chances of playing more.

“He [Van de Beek] knows he is not frozen out. It’s Man United and when a headline player is not playing for Man United, it is always going to make headlines,” Solskjaer said last month, as quoted by the Guardian.

He further added:

“I’ve got plenty of them every week that don’t play, so I don’t have any issues with Donny; he knows what he needs to work on, what we want him to work on. He is diligent in his work and he has never ever let his mood affect his team and teammates negatively. You have to have that fire in your belly if you’re going to make it.”

So far, Van de Beek has done everything right and now Solskjaer has no excuse not to give him his chance. Pogba’s injury demands that the Dutchman features more and maybe he can finally cement his place in the team.