The Scout looks at the Fantasy Premier League potential of summer signings ahead of the 2020/21 season.
Donny van de Beek (MUN) £7.0m
The midfielder arrives at Manchester United on the back of three impressive seasons for Ajax.
Having established himself as a regular for the Dutch giants in 2017/18, Van de Beek scored 28 goals and supplied 21 assists in 91 Eredivisie matches.
That included eight goals and five assists in 23 league appearances last term.
The underlying statistics from 2019/20 highlight Van de Beek’s attacking style of play.
His ability to make late runs into the opposition penalty area from central midfield means he very rarely shoots from distance.
Indeed, 40 of the Dutchman’s 44 shots came from inside the box.
His average of 47.9 minutes per shot inside the box was almost identical to Mason Greenwood (£7.5m), Anthony Martial (£9.0m) and Marcus Rashford (£9.5m) last season.
By comparison, Bruno Fernandes (£10.5m) produced only 34 per cent of his shots from inside the penalty area.
Van de Beek v Man Utd attackers
| 2019/20 | Mins/shot | Mins/shot in box | % of shots in box | Mins/key pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Van de Beek | 43.5 | 47.9 | 90.9 | 46.7 |
| Fernandes | 27.1 | 79.5 | 34.0 | 40.0 |
| Greenwood | 33.6 | 48.6 | 69.0 | 94.0 |
| Martial | 33.0 | 47.1 | 70.0 | 88.0 |
| Rashford | 27.9 | 47.4 | 58.9 | 80.0 |
Van de Beek will also boost the Red Devils' creativity.
Despite not being on set-pieces for Ajax, the 23-year-old still averaged a key pass every 46.7 minutes last season.
Only Fernandes, who dominates free-kicks and corners, surpassed that among Man Utd’s key attackers.
Bring in after blank?
While a blank Gameweek 1 will deter initial investment in Man Utd players, their subsequent schedule looks very encouraging.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men face only one of last season’s top-five sides from Gameweeks 2-11.
That gives Van de Beek the chance to make his mark on both Man Utd’s attack and FPL squads early on.
Tomorrow: Aston Villa's Matty Cash
See: The Scout on new arrivals
Don't get caught out. GW1 deadline: 11:00 BST on 12 September. Register your team now at fantasy.premierleague.com.
