Erik ten Hag’s blunt assessment of Donny van de Beek’s Manchester United struggles has been backed by ex-Red Devils defender Jaap Stam.
Ten Hag is the overwhelming favourite to be named as United’s next permanent manager, having completed his first interview for the vacant post earlier this week. It is understood that the Ajax boss has outlined his plans and philosophy for the job to Old Trafford bosses, who are in the process of hiring a long-term successor to Ralf Rangnick.
There is an expectation that United will confirm their fifth permanent successor to Sir Alex Ferguson before the end of the season, with ambitious reports even suggesting it could come before the end of this month.
Ten Hag is said to be the preferred candidate for the job, having overseen a sustained period of success with Ajax during his time at the helm. Since being handed the job in 2017, Ten Hag has helped the Dutch giants to two Eredivisie titles, two domestic cups and the Champions League semi-final back in 2019.
But he has never been shy about putting his opinions forward, particularly in regards to the treatment of former Ajax star Van de Beek, since his move to Old Trafford in the summer of 2020. Having seen a transfer to Real Madrid collapse, the 24-year-old joined United in a deal worth an initial £35million.
“He is an absolute key player for us, a very modern midfielder with lots of depth in his play. It’s clear that we will miss him a lot once he’s gone,” Ten Hag said after his departure from Ajax. “Donny is also a player who likes to be on the move. For both Donny and Frenkie [De Jong] it is a strength.”
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However, under both Rangnick and his predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Netherlands international has struggled to have any impact at United and was allowed to join Everton on loan such is his current standing within the United pecking order.
And Ten Hag hit out at Van de Beek’s lack of game time, with the 52-year-old saying to de Volkskrant back in December: "Donny, I find that hard. [It’s a] mortal sin."If you haven’t had a chance yet, then development will also stall. Every now and then you encourage them."
And Stam, who spent three seasons with United at the turn of the century has criticised the last pair of United bosses, suggesting that his lack of opportunities, twinned with a more defensive outlook as a team, has stalled his development.
“I think for Donny, he didn’t get enough chances to show himself, because it’s not only about getting one game or a couple of minutes,” Stam told bettingexpert. “No, you need several games and I’m not saying that the coach is to blame, because there’s a lot of tension on the games, there’s a lot of tension on the coaches.
“Of course I can understand that a coach is not saying ‘yeah, but I cannot give him a couple of games to see how he does’ and then risking, if he’s not working out, that we might lose more games. I can understand that in a way.
“But I can also understand that you need to trust your players, you need to give confidence to players. Sometimes, of course, you need to give them a little bit more extra time to show themselves in what they can do and also maybe play a little bit more attacking minded.
“For some reason the coaches were not picking him. Maybe he’s too attacking-minded. He wants to go forward. The coaches have favoured two holding midfield players.”
