Sunday, January 2, 2022 at 3:20 PM• Chris Meijer

Ralf Rangnick spoke about the situation of Donny van de Beek during the press conference in the run-up to the game between Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Dutch midfielder has only played 96 minutes since Rangnick took over from sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in early December. Yet Rangnick does not want to lose Van de Beek in the winter transfer window.

“He just has to work hard,” says Rangnick – who will work at Manchester United as a manager until the end of the season at least and will remain associated with the club as an advisor after that – when asked what Van de Beek should do to to get playing time. “I have come to know him so far as someone with a great mentality, he works very hard during every training session. He is a really great team player and there will definitely be games where he will get his chances.”

“I had a long conversation with him last week. He also wants to play to earn a spot in the squad of the Dutch national team for the World Cup in Qatar. He has to get playing time here for that,” continues Rangnick, who admits that the selection of Manchester United is ‘a little too big’. “I still believe that we should keep Van de Beek. He should definitely stay here until the end of the season, trying to get as many playing minutes as possible.”

The Daily Mirror reported on Sunday that it is very unlikely that a winter transfer will come for Van de Beek, as his previous agent Guido Albers refuses to release the midfielder from a binding contract that they jointly agreed eighteen months ago. His new advocate Ali Dursun cannot be mandated to represent Van de Beek’s interests without Albers’ permission. As a result, a winter transfer does not seem possible for the time being.

Rangnick also says that Edinson Cavani will not be allowed to leave Manchester United in January. “We have talked about that and will certainly not let him go because we need him. We have spoken several times in the last few weeks. In fact, he’s probably the player I’ve talked to the most. From day one I have told him that he is a very important player for me. He is probably the only striker who can play with his back and face to goal. His professionalism is amazing, so that’s why I told him I’d love to see him stay until the end of the season.”