Manchester United have made several bad transfers through the years, and the deal to sign Donny van de Beek was one the many failures.
What made Donny van de Beek’s struggles at Manchester United all the more bizarre, was that he checked many boxes for the team.
Van de Beek had proven his quality against English opposition in the Champions League, netting against Chelsea and Tottenham, the latter in a semi-final.
And he had also played a key role in an impressive win over Real Madrid. Manchester United beat the Spanish side to his signature back in 2020.
Donny van de Beek of Girona FC runs with the ball whilst under pressure from Federico Valverde of Real Madrid during the LaLiga match between Giron...
Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images
Donny van de Beek starting afresh
Donny van de Beek’s failure at Manchester United could be pointed at lack of opportunity, an inability to nail down a set position, and injuries.
In the summer United sold Van de Beek for a small fee, giving the former Netherlands international an overdue fresh start.
Signing for La Liga side Girona, Van de Beek had a big opportunity at the weekend, with his side taking on Real Madrid, and he was selected in the starting line-up.
It was not the kind of statement performance or result that Van de Beek would have been hoping for.
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Real Madrid cruised to a 3-0 away victory, with goals from Arda Guler, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe.
Van de Beek had 29 touches, creating one chance, and won a team-high four tackles, but was substituted off in the second half.
Spanish newspaper AS noted: “He was persistent and intent on getting his team on the ball,” but bemoaned him missing a chance in the first half when the game was 0-0.
Van de Beek’s season to date
It is progress for Donny van de Beek to be starting games. This was something he struggled with even on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt last season.
In La Liga to date, Van de Beek has eight starts. Amazingly that is more than the number of league starts he made for Manchester United in four years – only six.
Van de Beek has 16 total appearances in all competitions, starting 75 per cent of them, and has scored twice, with two assists.
It’s been a solid start for the Dutchman – but he will look back at the game against Real as a chance where he could have finally hit the headlines for the right reasons again, and will hope to get another opportunity when his side visit the Bernabeu later this season.
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