25 Feb 2021 08:46:19
So Pogba, Van de Beek and Cavani are all out injured as well as Hannibal Mejbri and out of the 2nd leg tonight.

But do you guys think Ole even notices Donny is out injured seeing that he doesn't even pick him lol :)

1.) 25 Feb 2021
25 Feb 2021 10:50:23
Who is Donny?

2.) 25 Feb 2021
25 Feb 2021 10:50:52
I'm a huge fan of Donny and really wanted us to sign him in the summer and was over the moon when we did.

However, currently I'm not sure where he fits into the team. He definitely plays best in the No.10 role, but is more than capable in a free 8 role as well.

Yet in the system we play there is no free 8 role and the No.10 role is being filled by Bruno who isn't just our best player, but arguably the most in form player in the league. Only Salah has more goals and only Kane has more assist, no one has more combined goal involvements.

So there is no natural place for him in the side as a starter. If we had a true CDM such as Rice then we could switch to a 433 shape with Bruno and Donny as free 8's.

A lot is made about Donny not playing much but actually Pogba has been pushed out of central midfield by McFred and has started several games on the right wing.

Speaking of Fred he has been one of our most important players this season after initially struggling in his first season, playing his way into the team in his second season and really kicking on in his third. Fred is 4 years older than Donny, so Donny has plenty of time to adjust and play his way into the team.

3.) 25 Feb 2021
25 Feb 2021 11:17:41
If Bruno was to leave at the end of the season and Ole identified VDB as his replacement i would be very worried. Even Juan Mata would be more affective than VDB in the 10 role. Lots of fans will disagree with me but in my opinion he's nothing more than a decent player who looked great in a dominant Ajax side in a tin pot league.

4.) 25 Feb 2021
25 Feb 2021 12:27:30
sim01975 what makes you think Bruno is going to leave? He is by far the most influential and key player in the squad and if anyone has to leave it's Pogba and he's probably the reason why we got VDB as cover when he does leave.

VDB for me is a very gifted technical player and needs to have a run of games before we make any judgements about him. Although we are not going to see the best of him as long as Ole sticks with 2 CM's in front of the defense.

We need to sign a fast proper CB along with a DM which would allow both Bruno/ VDB to play further forward in attacking areas and can cause a lot of problems to the opposition. And both do work hard off the ball as well and would compliment each other very nicely.

5.) 25 Feb 2021
25 Feb 2021 12:29:03
Donny and Bruno have very different interpretations of the No.10 role. Bruno will attempt every pass whether its on or not, whereas Donny is far more patient in his build up play. Both have a great shot and will get goals when played in the No.10 role.

With the players we have Bruno suits us much better, he will play quick balls through to our wide players who'll look to run through and shoot. Donny works better with more technically proficient and creative wide players.

On one hand having a player who can play in a different way gives you a different option and maybe stops you becoming too one-dimensional. The flip side to that is its a team game and changing one player won't change the style of the rest of the team. Meaning that it can take time for the new player and the rest of the team to adjust to how that player players.

I think at the moment the issue is that when Donny get the ball the rest of the team expect him to make the same passes as Bruno and they make runs accordingly. Until all the players are on the same wavelength that will continue to be a problem.

6.) 25 Feb 2021
25 Feb 2021 12:54:31
Donny has shown nothing of the player that some one here seem to think he is. He finds good spaces and keeps the ball moving. He is like tom cleverly at the moment and needs to effect the game in a far more positive way to be considered a first team player.

I imagine he is working in strength conditioning in the background. Maybe then he could play the deeper role feeding passes into the front 4. But his range of passing seems very limited, which is why he seems more effective closer to everyone.

He is not good enough to be man utd 10. No way no how.

He is not strong enough to be an 8 in the EPL. Look at Bernardo Silva at city, much harder to knock off the ball - not size, but strength.

7.) 25 Feb 2021
25 Feb 2021 13:06:09
DodgyBanter I don't think he is a player for the 8/ 10 position tbh especially in the EPL which is much faster and physical, although he can play in multiple positions. For me he is more of a box to box CM who can effect the play on both ends of the pitch and can become a key player for us if utilized properly.

8.) 25 Feb 2021
25 Feb 2021 14:46:51
LPU, What I would like to see from us in the summer is to bring in a top class CDM like Rice or Ndidi. Then they along with Bruno are first choice, and the other three midfielders (McTominay, Donny and Fred) will fight it out to be the first choice option alongside them. Obviously depending on their skills different players will be more suitable for different games. Long term I could see Garner taking the role, but feel he needs another loan next season to get a couple of seasons at professional level under his belt before he is ready to push for the first team.

9.) 25 Feb 2021
25 Feb 2021 16:29:31
Lets Play - Firstly i didn't say he was going to leave i said if he leaves, there is a difference. I was responding the Shappy's comment.
And by the way if VDB is Pogba's replacement i'm even more worried.
People keep going on about a run of games, every time he has probably been one if not the worse on the pitch. He looks completely lost like a rabbit caught in the head lights.
Stop blaming the rest of the team and the way we play and set up. The simple fact is VDB has been poor and hasn't contributed anything.

10.) 25 Feb 2021
25 Feb 2021 18:18:01
sim01975 I hope VDB is Pogba's replacement at the very least we would have a player who would be willing to work hard. And what do you expect a player coming in from another league and given irregular starts and playing time to do.

The simple fact is VDB is an intelligent player with great technical ability and he has shown glimpses of what he can do in the limited time he got. If you are expecting him to be flashy and play those hollywood passes to impress you then he isn't that sort of player.

I would agree that he needs to do a lot more in games but you can't just judge him based on his limited irregular playing time.

And if you want to talk about how we setup and play it's pretty evident Ole's priority is safety first and more protection for his CB's. In fact more worried about the opposition than taking the game to them.

11.) 25 Feb 2021
25 Feb 2021 19:33:27
It's a real shame that VDB has been injured as this run without Pogba would have been a chance to see what he could do or that OGS truelly does not fancy him.
Will be interesting to see if there is any interest in him come the summer and how we view that and his future next year especially wity Pogba likely to leave.

12.) 26 Feb 2021
26 Feb 2021 05:37:14
Brad76 it would really be interesting for sure. We would look stupid if we decided to sell VDB in such a short time, first for buying him in the first place and second for not giving him opportunities and for having a manager who doesn't know how to use him.

13.) 26 Feb 2021
26 Feb 2021 11:55:30
So far i haven't seen one bit of intelligence from VDB.
He has had time to settle in and he has played a number of games and shown absolutely nothing. He isn't a kid anymore, he will be 24 in April. By the way if Ole is setting up "safety first" then why have we scored more goals then every other team, what you say doesn't make sense.