Van de Beek has big part to play for Man Utd, says Solskjaer

VIDEO SHOWS: MANCHESTER UNITED TRAINING AND NEWS CONFERENCE WITH MANAGER, OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER AND MIDFIELDER, SCOTT MCTOMINAY

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (OCTOBER 27, 2020) (MUTV - NO COMMERCIAL USE. NO RESALES)

1. VARIOUS OF MANCHESTER UNITED PLAYERS INCLUDING EDINSON CAVANI, JUAN MATA AND DONNY VAN DE BEEK JOGGING / VAN DE BEEK SLOWING DOWN AND WALKING NEXT TO MATA

2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGER, OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER, SAYING:

"You know when players come into a new league, into a new team, they always need time to adapt. When Donny has played, he's played really well. I think it says a lot about our depth of quality in the squad that we don't have to use him every game because we have other players as well. I also think it says everything about our ambition, we want to go push on, we want to go and challenge for trophies this season. You know Donny is going to play a big, big part this year. At the moment, I've realised the topic is Donny van de Beek. It's nice for some players or commentators to have a little go, and I know that you're short for time when you're on tele and you have to put your points across quickly, but you have to know that you don't have to start the first three games to be a very important player in a squad, and I would be disappointed if some of my players said I wasn't important at Man United, but I didn't start many games. So, Donny is going to be very very important for us, don't worry about that."

3. SCOTT MCTOMINAY IN TRAINING

4. PLAYERS TRAINING

5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGER OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER, SAYING:

"Well, we look at every single game as a chance to get three points, and in the group stage with four teams, you'd think 10 points would get you through. So of course to get to 10 points as quickly as we can is our aim, and now we start to focus on the three points tomorrow night."

REPORTER (OFF CAMERA), ASKING: "How's the squad looking, is there any absentees?"

"We are more or less the same squad, with a couple of doubts and knocks as you normally have after a weekend game that are tight games as we had against Chelsea, but I think we're more or less the same squad yeah."

6. NEMANJA MATIC, JUAN MATA, PAUL POGBA IN TRAINING / CAVANI IN TRAINING / POGBA WALKING TO MIDDLE OF CIRCLE

7. BRUNO FERNANDES DURING TRAINING

8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGER, OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER, ON RB LEIPZIG SAYING:

"They are of course a club that have come up through the ranks very impressively and they've almost improved every single season, third in the Bundesliga (last season), now started really well, got to the semi-final (of last year's Champions League) and they're really going for the big trophies. You have a young coach (Julian Nagelsmann), a very pro-active coach, a very interesting coach to watch who's very adaptable and would play with high energy, high tempo, overall they've been very interesting to follow these last couple of years."

9. POGBA IN TRAINING / CAVANI RUNNING AFTER BALL

10. CAPTAIN HARRY MAGUIRE TRAINING WITH TEAM MATES

11. SOLSKJAER OBSERVING TRAINING / FERNANDES

12. CAVANI CHASING BALL DURING TRAINING EXERCISE

STORY: Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said on Tuesday (October 27) that new signing Donny van de Beek needed time to settle and would play a big part in the club's season.

United signed the 23-year-old Dutch midfielder from Ajax Amsterdam for a reported 35 million pounds ($46 million) last month, but he has yet to feature in the starting lineup in either the Premier League or Champions League.

"Donny is going to play a big, big part this year," Solskjaer told reporters ahead of Wednesday's Champions League home game against Germany's RB Leipzig. "When players come into a new team, a new league, they always need time to adapt."

Van de Beek has made four substitute appearances in the Premier League, where he has scored one goal, and one in the Champions League so far.

Solskjaer's decision not to field the youngster in Saturday's goalless Premier League draw against Chelsea drew criticism from some quarters.

"It's nice for some players and commentators to have a little go, but you have to know that you don't have to start the first three games to be a very important player in the squad," the manager added, highlighting how he was often used as a sub in his playing days at the club.

United kicked off their European campaign with an impressive 2-1 away win against last season's runners-up Paris St Germain and Solskjaer said his team were keen to build on that performance.

"We look at every single game as a chance to get three points," the 47-year-old added. "In the group stage of four teams, you'd think 10 points will get you through. Our aim is to get to 10 points as quick as we can."

He praised Leipzig's swift climb in German and European soccer, and the coaching style of their young coach Julian Nagelsmann.

(Production: Mussab Al-Khairalla)