Donny van de Beek ‘doesn’t take his chance’ AGAIN as Man Utd beat Aston Villa in EFL Cup second-half thriller
It was a tale of two halves at Old Trafford as Manchester United secured their passage to the EFL fourth round after defeating Aston Villa 4-2.
It was a lifeless opening 45 minutes in the North West as both sides took a cautious approach to the game, tentatively knocking on each other’s door, but without the conviction to trouble either Robin Olsen or Martin Dubravka, who was making his debut in front of the Stretford End.
As both sets of players trudged down the tunnel for a welcomed interlude, there were few talking points from a goalless opening stanza. But, the lack of activity, in fact, illuminated a growing concern among Man Utd fans. Donny van de Beek came into the match with building pressure on his shoulders, and the spotlight has only intensified as he struggled to stamp his mark on the showdown.
The Dutchman made just 11 touches in the first half, following on from a rather pedestrian performance in the weekend’s Premier League defeat to Aston Villa, a game in which his performance was singled out by several pundits as a cause for concern, not least Rio Ferdinand, who suggested he squandered his chance to show Erik ten Hag what he’s capable of.
Donny van de Beek managed just 11 touches in the first half vs Aston Villa. pic.twitter.com/cle7SyX7S1
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Following Man Utd’s 3-1 defeat on Sunday, Ferdinand told his YouTube channel: “He just hasn’t been able to find rhythm, momentum, or form, in a Man United shirt. The performance we saw wasn’t anything different to what we’ve seen at United, no impact.
“As we all know this is a cut-throat game. You’ve got to take your chances with both hands when they come cause you’re not going to get loads and unfortunately this week he didn’t take his chance. Now it’s up to the manager when he gets other chances.”
The 25-year-old was given another chance by his compatriot this evening to try and flex his attacking muscle and prove why he should be given an extended run in the team to try and recapture the halcyon days of his Ajax existence. But, his performance was more abject than Amsterdam against the Villans.
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An 11-touch first half was followed up by just 10 touches before he was hauled off on the hour mark for Anthony Elanga. The change (along with Alejandro Garnacho and Christian Eriksen) seemed to provide Man Utd with the tonic needed to kick into gear and force concerted pressure on Olsen.
In that final thirty minutes, Man Utd were ruthless and, at times, intoxicating. Van de Beek’s withdrawal came when Man Utd were losing 2-1, with Ollie Watkins and a Diogo Dalot own goal giving the visitors the lead; by the final whistle, Ten Hag was celebrating a 4-2 win and sweet revenge over Unai Emery.
It was a heavily-rotated team, so perhaps some leeway can be given to Van de Beek. But, he knows chances have come at a premium since pitching up at Old Trafford, so when given them, he needs to take them. Unfortunately, he once again let the opportunity slip, and further questions will now be asked of his position at Man Utd.
