Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer commented on the supporting role of Donny van de Beek on Wednesday evening after the 3-2 victory over Atalanta. The the Dutch international will not be involved at Old Trafford this season either and only came into action for five minutes in the Premier League. The trainer understands the disappointment of the ex-Ajacied, but nevertheless sees him working hard every day in training. “And he does so with a big smile,” said Solskjaer.
Reporter Marcel Maijer got Solskjaer in front of the camera of RTL7 and asked him about Van de Beek’s situation. “Donny is still working hard,” said the Norwegian head coach of Manchester United. “I understand Donny, he is frustrated and disappointed. But he continues to work every day with a big smile. I know he isn’t happy, but he works hard and is a true professional. He knows that sometimes it works this way in football.”
Solskjaer did not want to go into too much detail about Van de Beek’s situation, but did give a short answer to the question why the midfielder can’t get a job: “If you see our team today… We have a lot of good players. But he continues to train well and I hope he gets his chances,” said Solskjaer, who warmed up Van de Beek against Atalanta, but then returned to the bench. “Everyone is warming up, you have to be ready to get in. We know what Donny is in for when he comes out on the field, he’s so smart. But I thought Bruno did pretty well tonight,” Solskjaer said of Bruno Fernandes, who provided two assists against Atalanta.
Van de Beek was still associated with Everton in the past transfer period. The Toffees had reportedly wanted to pick him up, as the midfielder was open to a switch due to a lack of playing time. However, Solskjaer did not want to let him go, according to English media. “We never received an offer from Everton,” Solskjaer said when asked about that rumor. “Those are speculations. To me he is a Manchester United player.”
At the end of September, Van de Beek seemed to throw away his chewing gum in frustration, when in the Champions League match against Villarreal (2-1) was again not allowed to play. “It is also wiser to throw away your chewing gum and not swallow it. We learned that as children. And giving your chewing gum to someone else is not wise in these times of Covic, so I understood that he threw it away” , Solskjaer said with a wink.