Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knows Donny van de Beek is "not happy" and "frustrated" with a lack of opportunities at Manchester United.
The Netherlands international arrived from Ajax for a reported £40million last season but chances have been few and far between for the 24-year-old at Old Trafford.
Van de Beek has been afforded just 140 minutes of action across in competitions this term – 90 of those coming against West Ham in the EFL Cup – and the midfielder's frustrations were picked up by television cameras in a win over Villarreal last month.
The former Ajax man was spotted throwing his chewing gum in the direction of the United bench after Jesse Lingard was brought on from the bench.
However, asked about the incident after the Atalanta win – in which the Red Devils overturned a two-goal deficit to triumph 3-2 – Solskjaer joked to deflect any conflict, while admitting Van de Beek's frustrations.
"It’s wiser to throw away your chewing gum and not to swallow it," Solskjaer said to Dutch outlet RTL7. "We learned that as children.
"And giving your chewing gum to someone else is not possible in these Corona times either. Sensible, so I could see he was throwing it away.
"Donny is still working hard, of course, and at the moment it’s hard. I understand Donny is frustrated, he’s disappointed but he keeps on working every day with a big smile.
"I know he’s not happy, but he works hard and he’s a top professional. He knows that that’s the way that sometimes it works in football. At the moment he’s not playing but he doesn’t let himself down."
United came from two goals down in the Champions League to win for the third time on Wednesday – the joint-most in the competition.
Marcus Rashford's strike, which was the 300th goal of Solskjaer's tenure, started the comeback before Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo completed a remarkable turnaround.
Bruno Fernandes also created eight chances – the most by a United player in Europe since the 2003-04 season – and Solskjaer insisted Van de Beek, who was once again an unused substitute again, must remain patient in waiting for a chance.
"I can’t go into every single player," the head coach continued. "But if you see our team I thought our performance was really good. He’s got some good players that he plays with.
"He keeps training well and I enjoy having him there and I hope for him that he gets his chances."
Man charged after wearing shirt appearing to refer to Hillsborough disaster
A man has been charged after he was seen wearing a football shirt at Wembley which appeared to make an offensive reference to the Hillsborough disaster.
James White, 33, of Warwickshire, was charged on Sunday with displaying threatening or abusive writing likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, Scotland Yard said.
The Metropolitan Police Events Twitter account retweeted a picture on Saturday of a man wearing a Manchester United shirt that had the number 97 on the back and the words “Not Enough”.
Wembley was hosting the FA Cup final, where Manchester City beat local rivals Manchester United 2-1.
The Met said White was arrested “after being seen wearing a shirt which appeared to refer in offensive terms to those who died in the Hillsborough tragedy”.
He was bailed to appear at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on June 19.
Meanwhile, police said a further 22 people were arrested during the course of the policing operation for offences including assault, affray, possession of drugs, and drunk and disorderly behaviour.
Inquiries continue in respect of an item thrown on to the pitch shortly after the Manchester United goal, and there has been no arrest at this stage in relation to that matter.
On Sunday, the FA said in a statement: “The FA strongly condemns the actions of the individual who wore a shirt referencing the Hillsborough disaster ahead of the Emirates FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
“We saw a photograph of the offensive shirt on social media and immediately started working to identify the perpetrator.
“Our security team were able to quickly locate the individual based on the image, and we welcome the swift action which was then taken by the police.
“We will not tolerate abuse relating to Hillsborough or any football tragedy at Wembley Stadium and we will continue to work with the authorities to ensure strong action is taken against perpetrators.”
Ninety-seven football fans died as a result of a crush at a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield on April 15, 1989.
An inquest jury ruled in 2016 that they were unlawfully killed amid a number of police errors.
FA ‘strongly condemns’ actions of man who wore shirt referencing Hillsborough
The Football Association has condemned the actions of a fan at Wembley who wore a jersey referencing the Hillsborough disaster.
The Metropolitan Police Events Twitter account retweeted a picture on Saturday of a man wearing a Manchester United shirt that had the number 97 on the back and the words “Not Enough”.
Wembley was hosting the FA Cup final where Manchester City beat their rivals Manchester United.
Police said a man was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and taken into custody.
On Sunday, the FA said in a statement: “The FA strongly condemns the actions of the individual who wore a shirt referencing the Hillsborough disaster ahead of the Emirates FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
“We saw a photograph of the offensive shirt on social media and immediately started working to identify the perpetrator.
“Our security team were able to quickly locate the individual based on the image, and we welcome the swift action which was then taken by the police.
“We will not tolerate abuse relating to Hillsborough or any football tragedy at Wembley Stadium and we will continue to work with the authorities to ensure strong action is taken against perpetrators.”
Sharing a tweet which featured a photo of the man wearing the jersey, the Met’s events Twitter account said on Saturday: “We are aware of this and have worked proactively with officials at @wembleystadium to identify the individual.
“He has been arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and taken into custody.”
Ninety-seven football fans died as a result of a crush at a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield on April 15, 1989.
They were unlawfully killed amid a number of police errors, an inquest jury ruled in 2016.
Chelsea defender Maren Mjelde signs one-year contract extension
Chelsea defender Maren Mjelde has signed a one-year contract extension that ties her to the Women’s Super League champions until the end of next season.
The Norway international joined the club from Avaldsnes in her home country in 2016 and has helped Emma Hayes’ side to five WSL titles in that time.
She scored a memorable last-ditch penalty with the final kick of extra-time to rescue Chelsea from elimination in their Champions League quarter-final against Lyon in April.
The 33-year-old told the club website: “I feel really happy, Chelsea is my club and it has been for six-and-a-half years.
“I’m happy to stay here, it’s been my home for a long time and I’m really excited for next season.”
Chelsea Women general manager Paul Green added: “We’re delighted that Maren has committed to the club for another season.
“She is one of our leaders both on and off the pitch. Her experience and quality within the group is really important.
“She’s been a big part of our success over the years and we’re looking forward to seeing her again next season.”
Chelsea wrapped up their fourth-consecutive Super League title with a 3-0 victory against Reading in May, completing the double, having already lifted the FA Cup by beating Manchester United at Wembley.
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