Donny van de Beek's agent has spoken out over the Manchester United midfielder's lack of game time, insisting that the Dutchman 'cannot have another season like last year' at Old Trafford.
The 24-year-old joined the Red Devils in the summer of 2020 in a deal worth around £40m, but has largely struggled for minutes under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Van de Beek didn't feature in either of Man Utd's opening matches of the new Premier League season, but Solskjaer stressed the midfielder will be 'important' to the team after their 1-1 draw with Southampton on Sunday.
And agent Guido Albers has had his say on the situation, telling De Telegraaf (via Sport Witness) that the former Ajax man is expecting to play a bigger role in the team this campaign.
"Everyone in the club knows that Donny cannot have another season like last year," he said.
“The fans had already embraced him before, but the most important thing is that the trainer has now provided clarity to the English press.
“We are happy with that. And I assume that Donny will play a lot in one of the positions in midfield in the coming period.”
Expectations were high when Van de Beek arrived in Manchester last summer, but he has failed to make his mark when given the chance, although opportunities have been few and far between.
The Dutchman completed the full 90 minutes in only three Premier League matches last year, and didn't step onto the pitch at all in the Europa League final loss to Villarreal.
Van de Beek has spent the summer working on his fitness in order to adapt to the demands of the English top flight, and his new robust physique led supporters into thinking he'd feature from the off.
However, Solskjaer's decision not to deploy him against either Leeds or Southampton caused concern that the Netherlands international could be on his way out, but Van de Beek is not interested in any escape routes out of the club, preferring to fight for his place in the team.
Source : 90min