Solskjaer defends Man Utd star over furious reaction vs Villarreal
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says it’s understandable for Man Utd midfielder Donny van de Beek to be upset at his lack of game time.
The Dutchman reacted furiously towards the end of the Red Devils’ 2-1 victory over Villarreal on Wednesday when Solskjaer chose to bring on Fred and Jesse Lingard over him.
There have already been rumours since the incident that Van de Beek will attempt to leave the club again in the January transfer window after only playing five minutes of Premier League football this season.
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He was reportedly denied a late summer loan move to Everton with Solskjaer keen to use him more this campaign.
That hasn’t happened so far and Solskjaer claims he understands Van de Beek’s frustrations more than most. Solskjaer said: “I manage international footballers, competitive people, who all want to play. Donny was ready to come on.
“I have been a sub more than anyone. I was not happy a few times. That is the decision the manager makes.
“I understand frustration. Every player is keen to play. When they get on, they have to show me. Not just Donny, everyone.
“The one thing I would say is that Donny has never affected team-mates negatively. If that happens with anyone, it is a different scenario.”
Cristiano Ronaldo snatched a dramatic winner in the final minute of stoppage time as Man Utd beat Villarreal in Champions League earlier this week.
❤ Those last-minute scenes >>>#MUFC | @Cristiano pic.twitter.com/FPcraR9i7M
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 1, 2021
On building on that result, Solskjaer added: “We’ve done that so many times at this club.
“We played against a very good team, dominated possession but were open on the counter-attack.
“The boost, the energy has to be built on. It is a very quick turnaround. The players are not going to get caught out.”
On his side being vulnerable to counter-attacks, Solskjaer continued: “That is the challenge that we are facing more and more. We have got to be better at.
“We want to be in the position that teams pay us such respect. There are so many things that you’ve got to do right.
“The ball moves so rapidly up the pitch and it sometimes looks like a handball game! The Aston Villa game had 45 minutes effective playing time which is lowest I’ve seen of us.”
