According to Calcio Mercato, Man United are planning to sign Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer in a swap deal for Donny van de Beek.
Van de Beek was supposed to get a new lease of life after Erik ten Hag’s arrival at Old Trafford but things aren’t going too well for the playmaker. He’s not been able to impress during the two pre-season matches and now that the club has signed Christian Eriksen, ETH is apparently ready to cash in on the ex-Ajax star.
A new defensive midfielder is the need of the hour for Manchester United and after failing to get their hands on players like Kalvin Phillips, Bissouma and Declan Rice, the new manager seems to have set his sights on Ismael Bennacer.
Nani 🇵🇹 & Donny Van De Beek 🇳🇱#MUFC #MUTOUR22 pic.twitter.com/LQ96tb7heU
— ً (@HQMUFC) July 15, 2022
Who is Ismael Bennacer?
The 24-year-old is a product of the Arsenal U19 side and he was promoted to the senior side back in 2015. However, he’s made only a single appearance for the senior team and in 2019, he joined his current side AC Milan from Empoli.
He got a new lease of life at Milan and last season, he was one of the standout players for the Rossoneri, featuring in 31 Serie A games for the club.
Man United are not the only club who have been linked with the 24-year-old because the buzz around Europe is that Arsenal are also keen to bring him back to the club, now that he’s proved his worth at Milan.
After Pogba and Matic’s exit, Manchester United badly need a new central midfielder and someone like Bennacer can be the perfect fit.
He usually plays as the defensive screen in front of the back line and he’s really apt at holding onto the ball and spraying it across the pitch.
https://twitter.com/AdeyinkaArmstr1/status/1548999426362019842
The Algerian international is currently valued at around €45m by his club but Man United are hoping the introduction of Van de Beek into this equation will help lower his valuation to a large extent. This will also eliminate any potential interest from Arsenal.
Should Donny van de Beek get a second chance at Man United?
Under Ole and then Rangnick, Donny van de Beek was a complete failure and after Eriksen’s arrival, it seems like Ten Hag does not want to take a risk with him either.
Yes, he was a great talent at Ajax but his confidence has hit rock bottom since he’s moved to England which is probably why Ten Hag wants to get rid of him.
The manager has Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen who can play in the more advanced role in midfield so it makes sense that he wants to swap Donny van de Beek for a defensive/central midfielder.
Ten Hag would much rather sign a defensive midfielder who is strong and can control the tempo of the play from the deep rather than keep three advanced midfielders in his squad.
