Donny van de Beek Changed The Newcastle Game In Just 14 Minutes

By Naveen Kelvin | October 18, 2020
Manchester United's Donny van de Beek celebrates scoring their first goal with Bruno Fernandes.

Pool via REUTERS/Shaun Botterill

Man Utd staged a self-created comeback against Newcastle United on Saturday. The Red Devils went down within minutes of kick-off due to Luke Shaw’s own-goal.

A disallowed goal and a shockingly missed penalty furthered Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s woes. However, a couple of substitutions and a late flurry of activity later, the fixture stood transformed.

Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Marcus Rashford all netted excellent goals to end the game 1-4.

However, the relatively silent contributions of one player may have gone unnoticed despite the sheer impact he had.

Donny van de Beek had an excellent time on the pitch and was arguably the catalysing influence that changed the game around. When he was brought on in the 76th minute in place of Daniel James, the scoreline was still stubbornly 1-1.

However, his short time on the pitch was riddled with excellent contributions. The freshly-signed Dutchman attempted and successfully completed all 12 of his passes. His sole take-on was highly effective and the 23-year-old was also impactful via his three recoveries.

Further, his crucial impact came in finding the excellent pass that led to Fernandes’ all-important goal.

Such a contribution is precisely why Man United signed him and so far he is yet to disappoint. However, the bigger question is whether such displays have won him a starting spot in Premier League and Champions League fixtures.

Paul Pogba was dropped from this game by Solskjær and there have been arguments for giving de Beek the nod more often. With such an impactful time on the pitch, a strong case certainly has been made for his regular inclusion.

However, that samples space is still a small one and as he gets more chances to prove himself, the supporters will be able to decide for themselves.