Had conversation with Donny Van de Beek and advised him to stay, reveals Ralf Rangnick

Donny Van de Beek arrived at Manchester United in the summer of 2020 from Ajax for a reported fee of £35 million-plus £5 million in add-ons. The Dutch midfielder had established himself as one of the midfielders in the world during his stint at the Dutch club as he helped them claim an Eredivisie and made a deep run in the Champions League in the 2018/19 season. It has not gone according to plan for Van de Beek since his arrival at Old Trafford as he has struggled for game-time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and interim manager Ralf Rangnick so far.

"I understand he [Van de Beek] wants to play but we are in three competitions. I'm glad to have him in the squad. I had a conversation with him two weeks ago and advised him to stay. He wants to play at the World Cup and [The Netherlands manager] Louis van Gaal told him to be a regular starter and he needs to play," the German told reporters in his pre-match press conference.