Donny van de Beek has enlisted the help of a personal trainer to improve his strength and conditioning as he hopes to break into Manchester United's first team.
It was a tough first season in the Premier League for Van de Beek, after his £40 million transfer to United a year ago from Ajax.
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The Dutch midfielder failed to break into the first team on a consistent basis and only started four games in the league, coming off the bench on 15 occasions.
In the off season there has been rumours of a move to Barcelona, but he looks set to stay in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's plans instead.
According to The Athletic, Van de Beek went home to the Netherlands after having to drop out of the Euro 2020 squad, took two weeks off and then started on a plan to beef up his frame.
The report says that, in collaboration with United's staff, the 24-year-old went to FysioConcept, a 'specialised training centre in Amsterdam' and took part in weight training, in order to improve his strength.
The English top tier is known for being more physical than some of the other leagues around the continent and players new to the league can often struggle with it initially.
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As the report notes, Van de Beek wasn't able to improve his physique last season due to the condensed nature of the campaign.
United were playing twice-a-week pretty much every week, as they reached the final of the Europa League in a condensed schedule.
Teammates have certainly noticed the improvement in the midfielder's muscles, with Harry Maguire joking that his colleague would stretch the captain's armband, after Van de Beek wore it during the friendly with Brentford.
Van de Beek's chances of breaking into the first team may have been improved by the upcoming signing of Raphael Varane, who is expected to confirm his move this week.
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Solskjaer reportedly wants to dump his current system of having two defensive pivots and instead play with just one, with two more progressive midfielders.
That is likely to be Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes, however Van de Beek could benefit if the Frenchman is sold.
Pogba only has one year left on his contract at Old Trafford and could be sold this summer, in order to fund a move for a defensive midfielder.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Donny van de Beek, Football, Manchester United, Premier League
