Van de Beek sees future profit in holding midfielder role
Still yet to start a Premier League game since joining from Ajax, Donny van de Beek helped Manchester United to a Champions League victory.
Donny van de Beek believes his deployment in a deeper role worked well as Manchester United thrashed Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League.
United won 4-1 at Old Trafford on Tuesday, with Bruno Fernandes' early double added to by strikes from Marcus Rashford and substitute Daniel James.
With the superb Fernandes causing havoc in the number 10 role, Van de Beek played as a holding midfielder alongside Fred.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's use of the Netherlands international has been a subject of intense debate given he is yet to start a Premier League game but the 23-year-old has played in all four continental matches, starting three.
Van de Beek had two key passes, completed 33 passes in the opposition half – second only to Fred – and boasted an 87.5 per cent passing accuracy against Basaksehir.
While he enjoys playing in a more advanced position, Van de Beek also feels comfortable in a deeper role and believes the system was a good one.
Van de Beek: "I was playing these positions at Ajax"
"It worked really well," Van de Beek, a £40million signing from Ajax, told MUTV. "Some games I play number 10 and sometimes the coach needs me in the control position.
"That is fine for me because before, when I played at Ajax, I was playing in those positions, so it is okay.
"It was a good reaction from the away game. To win 4-1 at home I think you can be happy. The first half was really good especially the first 30 minutes and we played nice football and scored nice goals.
"In the second half we lost too many balls and gave them some chances but the last five minutes we controlled the game again."
A third straight win in all competitions for United avenged their defeat in Turkey earlier this month and put them three points clear at the top of Group H.
They have now won their last seven home games in European competition by an aggregate score of 24-2.
"It is not finished but we are in a good position," added Van de Beek, with United sitting ahead of Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig.
"We need to keep working and everything will be fine. We now have eyes on the weekend [against Southampton]."