Ole Solskjaer might be forced to play Paul Pogba in a deeper role to accommodate Van de Beek, says Ferdinand.
The arrival of Donny van de Beek at United might give Ole Solskjaer something of a selection headache.
The Dutchman became the Red Devils’ first signing of the summer in a £40m move from Ajax.
Van de Beek boasts lots of quality no doubt but an issue is how he will fit in at United.
The 23-year-old plays a similar role to the likes of Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes who currently star in midfield for the Red Devils.
To fit all three players on the pitch together, United legend Rio Ferdinand thinks Pogba might be asked to play a deeper role to allow Van de Beek flourish.
Speaking this week on BBC Radio Five Live, Ferdinand said: “Listen, if you say you’re going to play your best players in that midfield and you’re going to play three, then you’d say Paul Pogba playing in the holding role and [Bruno] Fernandes and Van de Beek being the guys that are playing around that, a bit more free and able to move around and create.”
“Is that Paul Pogba’s best position? I would argue not. But you have to look at what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to do. Does he want his best players on the pitch or is he talking about players fitting in a system?”
“I think that’s the intriguing part for me going into the season from Man United’s perspective in terms of the signing that they made, that player.”
Van de Beek impressed for United in his first outing in a friendly match against Aston Villa on Saturday. The Red Devils might have lost but the Dutchman was one of the most encouraging names for United on the pitch.
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