Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has praised Donny van de Beek’s display after Manchester United’s 5-0 win over Leipzig and said he was pleased with the player’s work both on and off the ball.
Van de Beek has had to wait patiently for game-time since his transfer move from Ajax to United and is yet to even start any Premier League game this campaign.
But, Van de Beek was handed a golden opportunity to impress on Wednesday and the Dutchman put in an assured display alongside Paul Pogba in the Champions League clash.
Marcus Rashford stole the headlines with a stunning hat-trick – after Mason Greenwood’s 21st minute strike to break the deadlock – and Anthony Martial also converted from the spot on a satisfying night for Solskjaer and the Red Devils.
Pogba and Van de Beek had missed out on a place in Solskjaer’s starting lineup for United’s last three matches and the Norwegian was impressed with their response.
When quizzed about Pogba and Van de Beek’s displays, Solskjaer told BT Sport: ‘Donny is a fantastic player and a fantastic boy.
‘You see the work he puts down both on and off the ball, you see the defensive shape with him, he covers the ground and he’s so clever with his movement. So I’m so pleased with both of them.’
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Solskjaer added: ‘This group is coming together. Of course we’ve added a few quality players and the more quality you have and spirit you have, the better chance you have of a performance.’
On Rashford’s outstanding cameo performance, Solskjaer said: ‘He came on, did well, impact, of course we want that from the subs but that’s only possible when the others have laid the groundwork.
‘What a shift they put in and of course Leipzig do make you work with the high-press, the counter-press, the intensity, and we have to really dig deep and work hard for each other.
‘Spaces open up when you’re winning and we knew that today was the day we had to rest a few because this season is relentless so we could use the squad.’
