United are expected to announce the 23-year-old Duchman’s signing in the coming days, with reports claiming the Premier League club has agreed a £35million fee with Ajax for his signature.
The transfer was all-but confirmed on Monday by Van de Beek’s father, Andre, who revealed to the Dutch press his son has chosen to join ‘a beautiful club’ in Man United and said his move to Old Trafford is ‘a dream come true’.
It’s been widely suggested Van de Beek, who will reportedly sign a five-year contract, has been brought in by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to form a versatile three-pronged midfield alongside Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba.
It looks a formidable line-up on paper, but Murphy has his doubts, with the former Liverpool and Tottenham man insisting it wouldn’t work to play all three attack-minded midfielders in one team.
Van de Beek certainly showed his eye for the goal last season, ending the shortened Eredivisie campaign with an impressive 14 goals and seven assists.
And Murphy believes signing a player of his quality means Pogba ‘could be off’ this summer.
Murphy said: “I’m just thinking about where Van de Beek is going to play…
“Playing with Fernandes and Pogba? Do you really think that?
“Do you know what I think? I think that Pogba could be off. That signing to me says Pogba is off.”
The Frenchman has rarely been far from the back pages with endless speculation over his future as a Manchester United player, although it’s been a different story this summer.
But Murphy isn’t so sure.
“I don’t know why, something just tells me…
“I know he can play as a number six, in the holding role… but he’s not a defensive midfielder as such.
“He likes to get in the box and score a goal, we’ve seen that. He’s technically good and he’s an all-round, energetic box-to-box midfielder.
“So why would you buy a player who is an attacking midfielder when you’ve already got two? You can’t play them all!”
