Donny van de Beek Impressed Fans With A Beautiful Backheel Flick

By Vishal | January 10, 2021
Manchester United's Donny van de Beek.

Pool via REUTERS/Matt Dunham

Manchester United progressed past the third round of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win over Watford.

Scott McTominay, the side’s captain for the night, headed the only goal of the clash from an Alex Telles corner in the 5th minute. The rest of the game was a dull encounter, as Watford only threatened Dean Henderson’s goal via occasional set-pieces, while United without the majority of first-team players failed to add more goals.

Nonetheless, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s decision to rest his key players led to a rare start for Donny van de Beek.

The Dutch midfielder was United’s brightest player in the final-third, and some of his passes and trademark flicks could’ve led to a goal contribution or two alongside more clinical teammates on the pitch.

His back-heel flick to Juan Mata minutes before the half-time whistle was beautiful, and would’ve been United’s best goal of the new year had it gone past the Watford goalkeeper.

 

Paul Pogba was not in the squad to face Watford, and in his post-match interview Solskjaer revealed that the French midfielder missed the tonight’s clash through injury.

At this moment, it’s unclear if he will be fit to play against Burnley on Tuesday, but if he’s not available then in Van de Beek, the Norwegian tactician have a versatile replacement at his disposal.