Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can no longer win over the situation he has created over Donny van de Beek. The Dutchman is the forgotten man at Old Trafford after his £40m transfer from Ajax.
Whether Van de Beek comes into this United line-up, it does not matter for Solskjaer – he has already lost the situation.
The Red Devils coach has ostracised Van de Beek from the United group and it has left the player unsettled.
His first year was a disaster after the 24-year-old managed just 511 minutes in the Premier League – completing just three matches.
After missing out on the Netherlands set-up for Euro 2020, Van de Beek vowed to work harder than ever to get himself into the United side.
Now in his second season at the club, the midfielder has been left out more than ever with Fred and Scott McTominay preferred ahead of him.
He is regularly left on the bench despite his quality and a transfer away in January now looks almost inevitable.
Even if Solskjaer was to play the youngster, he cannot win because of the two scenarios that could happen.
If Van de Beek comes in and is terrible, that blame would be at the manager’s door for the lack of belief that he has shown in him during his time coaching him.
It would be no surprise to see the midfielder playing rusty after so little action on the pitch.
While if the ex-Ajax ace was a superstar and improved United’s form, the fingers would still be pointing at Solskjaer for not trusting him earlier – especially during the various rocky patches under his stewardship.
It means Van de Beek’s best bet is either waiting to see if the Norwegian is sacked and replaced by a manager who is more willing to play him or leave in January.
He has already changed agents recently with the aim of exploring his options in the transfer window with Wolves and Everton interested parties.
Van de Beek signed from Ajax last summer for around £40m but has so far failed to impress Solskjaer when given the chance and has managed just 141 minutes of action in all competitions this season – including six in the Premier League.
The Dutch star had attracted interest from Real Madrid prior to joining the Red Devils but may have to find form elsewhere before tempting Los Blancos back into the mix.