Many fans are wondering what Donny van de Beek has to do to get minutes from Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

Amidst the chaos of this transfer window, we have had the purchases of Jadon Sancho and Raphaël Varane, the sale of Daniel James, and the return of Cristiano Ronaldo. Yet one name still remains forgotten by the Red Devils: 2020 transfer Donny van de Beek. After scoring on his debut in the 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace, many myself included, expected the Dutch midfielder to take over Fred’s place in the starting 11.

One year on, that could not be further from the truth. On the day of the deadline, reports surfaced about a failed loan move for van de Beek from Everton. Apparently Solskjær himself blocked the move from happening. And while it is clear that Donny is not happy sitting on the bench game after game, he is still trusting in Solskjær. According to the Telegraph, Van de Beek is banking on Manchester United honouring a “clear agreement” to give him more playing time this season.

As a Manchester United fan, like everyone I can only speculate and hope for the best. But I will say this about the matter, with all respect to Fred, I do not think I can see another week of him in the starting 11. There are times where he puts in great performances, such as opening weekend against Leeds. Yet it is then followed up with the two subpar performances after that. And with Scott McTominay still out, I would like to see van de Beek given a chance to prove his worth.

It has only been three years since Ajax’s miracle run to the Champions League semifinals. This could be Donny’s big chance to show he can belong in the starting 11.