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Rob DawsonReporter
In October 2018, Donny van de Beekonly 21 years old, started giving Ajax against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. By the end of that season, he had scored 17 goals from midfield, one of which was in the Champions League semi-finals at Tottenham Hotspur.
A few weeks later, he fought England and Portugal like Netherlands runner-up in the Nations League and by 2020 he has earned himself a €45 million transfer to Manchester United.
But rather than take the next step in his career which up to that point had gone from strength to strength, his move to Old Trafford caused such a drastic decline that when head coach Louis van Gaal names his Dutch team for the 2022 World Cup, which won. There isn’t any question as to why Van de Beek was not included.
The midfielder has been told by Van Gaal he needs to “start playing the game” after he was initially dropped from the national team more than a year ago. Now that he is out injured, as well as out of shape, there is little chance of that happening before the tournament begins in Qatar next month.
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It got to the point where Van de Beek was seen by most United fans as another bad signing. There was hope in the summer that the appointment of his former manager at Ajax, Erik ten Hag, could kickstart his career in Manchester. But Van de Beek has found opportunities as hard to come by under the new United manager as he did under predecessors Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick. So far this season, he has played 19 minutes of football, and speaking last week, Ten Hag said the 25-year-old must first impress in training before being considered for the job. a spot on the team.
Ten Hag said after Omonia Nicosia’s win over Omonia Nicosia: “He has a muscle injury. “So it took a couple of weeks. He’s back on the training ground now, so he’s been outside doing his job but still personally, he won’t be back training with the team. Because So we have to wait for that moment.”
Van de Beek was used to waiting. After arriving at United from Ajax, it took Solskjaer more than two months to trust him with his Premier League debut in a 3-2 win at Southampton. He has been selected for the next game against West Ham, but after being substituted at half-time at the London Stadium, he has to wait until May to start another Premier League game against Leicester at the Old. Trafford.
Solskjaer’s treatment of a player who was on the 30-man shortlist for the 2019 Ballon d’Or has raised questions about whether the Norwegian would ever want him at the club. Van de Beek is signed at a time when United are under pressure for a lack of ambition in the transfer market, and they could quickly strike a deal following a proposed move. Real Madrid broken.
As a well-known member of the team, the lack of game time annoyed some of his teammates, who frequently featured him in their social media posts whenever. he makes an important contribution in training or matches.
His January loan spell to Everton was interrupted with a thigh injury, but Ten Hag’s appointment at United in the summer is seen as a fresh start with a manager who has reached his full potential. it at Ajax. Ten Hag initially said he was “looking forward” to working with his former player, but it wasn’t long before he issued a warning.
“I as a manager and the coaching staff around him can do everything to set the right conditions for him to perform, but in the end the player has to do it himself. there,” he said on United’s pre-season tour. Thailand and Australia. “Every player is the same, he has to do it himself. They have to take responsibility for their performance. Donny has the ability. I’ve seen that, but he has to prove himself.”
Ten Hag insists “opportunity will come” during a busy season in four leagues, but it is increasingly likely that Van de Beek will have to leave the club, in January or next summer, to get it back his career.
Sources have told ESPN that Leicester City are among those interested, but Van de Beek has a contract at Old Trafford until 2025, with the option of an extra year, and United will want some profit from the €45m fee they paid. just two years ago.
Still only 25 years old, there is still time to prove he can be the player who has exploded at Ajax. But time is running out on his World Cup opportunities and the clock is ticking on his future at United.
