Scott McTominay hails ‘great lad and brilliant footballer’ Donny van de Beek as rival for midfield spot insists Dutchman’s ‘time will come’ at Manchester United
- Donny van de Beek made second start for Manchester United in 5-0 victory
- He played well in demolition of RB Leipzig in Champions League after slow start
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has previously left Dutchman out after £35million move
- But fellow midfielder Scott McTominay believes van de Beek’s time will come
Scott McTominay insists ‘great lad’ Donny van de Beek will go on to establish himself as a mainstay in Manchester United’s midfield.
The Scot, a rival for the £35million midfielder’s position in midfield, has been struck by the former Ajax man’s quality despite the fact that opportunities under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have been few and far between.
Van de Beek was given only his second start for the club in Wednesday’s 5-0 demolition of RB Leipzig in the Champions League.
Donny van de Beek was substituted by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after starting his second game
The 23-year-old impressed and McTominay believes his ‘time will come’ at United.
He told United review: ‘Donny van de Beek is a great lad and a brilliant football player.
‘I’m sure, the way he is working in training and how hard he’s working, his time will definitely come to get more minutes on the pitch.
‘I spoke to him a little bit and he’s a top kid. The way he applies himself every day, he is never late – always on time – and always trains to his absolute maximum.
‘We have got a really, really good player and really good person there.
McTominay has dovetailed well with Fred in recent weeks for United and given Solskjaer a selection headache with some quality midfielders to choose from.
Scott McTominay lauded his team-mate as a great lad and insisted his time will come
Van de Beek has impressed when given the chance for Manchester United since joining
He brought the Scot and Bruno Fernandes off the bench against Leipzig and Van de Beek, showing the strength in depth, a point McTominay followed up on.
He added: ‘I feel like obviously Fred is a terrific player but we’ve got Nemanja [Matic], we’ve got Paul [Pogba],’ he added. ‘Phew, there are endless options in midfield really. We can play Bruno [Fernandes] in midfield.
‘With regards to the players we’ve got in midfield, Nemanja is so experienced and I feel comfortable playing with him, but I am comfortable playing with every single one of them. I am sure they would all say that and it can only bode well for us going forward.’
Many have said that van de Beek, Pogba and Fernandes cannot play in the same midfield together as all three prefer attacking to defending. It will be fascinating to see which combination Solskjaer opts for in Sunday’s clash with Arsenal.
McTominay has been preferred in midfield in recent weeks and their is competition for places
