Ed: Donny has a touch of Scholes about him!
EDWIN van der Sar has likened new United signing Donny van de Beek to club legend Paul Scholes for his ability to score goals from midfield.
The £40.1m midfield is the Reds’ only signing of the summer so far.
The 23-year-old is regarded as one of the most exciting playmakers in Europe and made his name during Ajax’s run to the Champions League semi-finals in the 2018/19 season, in which he scored or assisted against Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus and Tottenham.
Van de Beek contributed an impressive 27 goals over the last two seasons in the Netherlands and Van der Sar sees similarities with his former team-mate Scholes.
“He can play in different positions in midfield - he can be a six or an eight or a 10, he has a great eye for a goal. His technique is brilliant, he can go box to box,” Van der Sar said when asked about Van der Beek.
“I’d compare him a little bit to Scholesy, although Scholesy had a cracker of a shot from 30/40 yards out and that’s not Donny’s strength. But he likes to come into the box and chip in with goals.
“Maybe it’s unfair to compare him to Scholesy actually, but he’s a good lad and I’m sure he’ll be a great addition to the team that Ole is creating for United.
“He’s multi-functional, he can play a little bit deeper which I think is his preferred role.
“Of course, we know United already have a couple of great midfield players there so he will find his way in the team. With the amount of games that top clubs need to play this year in the Premier League and Champions League and the cup matches, everything is quite intense so you need a good, wide squad.”