Donny van de Beek speaks out on error & warns Man Utd's Champions League rivals

Donny van de Beek has taken responsibility for Young Boys’ equaliser against Manchester United on Wednesday night but is backing the side to beat whoever they come up against in the knockout stages of the Champions League.

With United having already secured their passage to the last 16 as group winners, new boss Ralf Rangnick opted to name a heavily rotated side and they got off to a good start with Mason Greenwood acrobatically firing them ahead.

But just before half-time Van de Beek gifted possession to Fabian Rieder on the edge of his own box and the Swiss youngster fired a brilliant curling effort into the top corner to equalise, with the match finishing 1-1.

Van de Beek is unlikely to have done enough to earn a first Premier League start of the season and held his hands up over the error, with the Dutchman – and United – having a mixed evening.

Speaking to MUTV afterwards he said: ‘I think first 30 minutes was okay, we made a good goal from Mason, after that we have a few chances to make it 2-0 or 3-0. We didn’t do that. I think if we’d done that it would have been much easier.

‘Then 1-1. For me, lost the ball in the middle, maybe I should kick the ball away. I didn’t do that. I take my responsibility for that.

‘And after that I think it was a little bit difficult. I think we didn’t get enough pressure on them, with the ball as well we lost too many balls and it’s really difficult to command the game.

‘But overall I think for a few guys they made their first game in the Champions League. Of course congratulations to them because I know it’s really special to play this night.

‘So 1-1 and now focus on the next one [against Norwich] in the Premier League.’

Despite being seeded in Monday’s draw for the last 16, the Red Devils can still come up against some giants of European football – including Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid and Inter – but Van de Beek fears no-one and warned the rest of the competition that United can beat anyone on their day.

Man Utd’s potential last-16 opponents

Paris Saint-Germain
Atletico Madrid
Sporting Lisbon
Inter Milan
Benfica
Red Bull Salzburg

Asked about United’s prospects in the last 16, Van de Beek continued: ‘Whoever it is, I think all the teams at this stage of the Champions League are strong.

‘I think we have to look at ourselves. We have to be top, because I think with the players that we have we can beat everyone.

‘So we have to work hard every day and I believe we can beat everyone if we play well.’

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