Having joined for a combined £54million, Diogo Dalot and Donny van de Beek have, so far, been unable to fully make their mark at United. That’s not to say that they won’t be able to do so in the coming months, however.
Sent out on loan to Serie A last season, full-back Dalot was handed a bizarre double chance to take on his parent club in the Europa League for AC Milan, before the Portuguese went on to grab his first two international caps at Euro 2020.
At the age of 22, that hints at a career at very the top levels of the game — if he gets his opportunity.
At United, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw are the undisputed first-choice options in the full-back positions. However, amid continued links with Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid, there is enough to suggest that Solskjaer is open to change at right-back —or at least that he’s looking for competition for Wan-Bissaka.
As for Van de Beek, the task that welcomed him the moment he stepped through the doors at United was just about as tough as it gets; displacing Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba.
That won’t get any easier for the talented Dutchman, who was seldom used by Solskjaer during his debut campaign, but there is no question about his technical ability.
Similarly to Dalot, the prospect of Van de Beek putting those first-year woes behind him might depend on injuries, Solskjaer’s tactical decisions, or other such uncontrollable factors from the player’s perspective.
Can Dalot and van de Beek go on to succeed at United? Let us know in the comments section below.