Donny van de Beek should have signed for Arsenal and Manchester United didn’t need him, says Ian Wright

United are still hoping to add more faces this summer

Karl Matchett
Wednesday 30 September 2020 13:51 BST
Comments
Van de Beek scored on his debut
Van de Beek scored on his debut (Manchester United via Getty Imag)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright feels Manchester United have rushed into the signing of Donny van de Beek and the Dutchman would have been better off joining the Gunners.

United’s only incoming business in the window so far has been to sign the former Ajax man, despite links with several left-backs and wide forwards.

The Old Trafford club have also struggled to offload their out-of-favour players, with the likes of Marcos Rojo, Chris Smalling and Andreas Pereira surplus to requirements according to several reports.

Van de Beek scored on his Premier League debut off the bench in the defeat to Crystal Palace, but Wright feels United already have players in his best role and he isn’t what the club need to take a step forward.

"Donny van de Beek, he’s someone that I wish someone more like Arsenal could have taken," Wright said on The Kelly and Wrighty Show.

"When you look at [Paul] Pogba, what he’s doing, and you look at Bruno Fernandes – that is Donny van de Beek’s position.

"So people are thinking they’re going to see Van de Beek [sitting] with Pogba and Fernandes, but I don’t think that’s going to happen, because as much as he can play there, that’s not his preferred position to play.

"Listen, Donny van de Beek will be a good player for Man United in time because he’s a quality player. But is he what they need right now?"

Arsenal have been linked with several midfielders themselves, but mostly those who play a deeper role, including Jorginho, Thomas Partey and Amadou Diawara.

The Gunners are also thought to be keen on Lyon’s attack-minded midfielder Houssem Aouar, who has a reported price tag of around £40 million, slightly more than the fee United have shelled out for Van de Beek.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in