Donny van de Beek left Manchester United in a permanent capacity last summer, and after one year of his shirt staying vacant, it has found a new player.
It wasn’t the best of times at Manchester United for Donny van de Beek, but he left as a fan favourite for keeping his head down and staying professional.
He has managed somewhat of a comeback with Girona in Spain, playing in the Champions League last season.
His shirt number at United, 34, can now be seen with another player, a wonderkid of ‘immense ability’, after staying vacant for a season.
Radek Vitek, Elyh Harrison of Manchester United in action during a first team training session at Carrington
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Man Utd reassign Donny van de Beek’s squad number
United returned for pre-season on July 7 amid hopes and expectations, even though the transfer window at the time of writing hasn’t gone according to plan.
Only Matheus Cunha has been signed, and no major sales have been made, which means the focus should be on internal improvement and a breakout or two.
Shirt numbers provide a hint about the player’s status for the season, as a lower shirt number generally means a more prominent role in the first team.
The likes of Shea Lacey, Bendito Mantato, and Reece Munro were already sporting new numbers when the squad returned, and now, Donny van de Beek’s ’34’ has found a taker too.
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In the latest training footage from the club, Elyh Harrison can be seen wearing the No. 34, one year after Van de Beek’s exit vacated it.
Harrison has been described as a wonderkid with ‘immense ability’ at a previous loan spell at Chester, where he impressed massively. He wore No. 50 for the club last season.
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Harrison has been highly rated in the youth ranks at Carrington ever since the U18s won the treble in 2023/24, with Harrison between the sticks.
The noise around him increased when he shone at Chester in his first senior football loan, spending six months before being recalled to add numbers to the goalkeeping batch.
Now that Andre Onana is set to stay, but his position is no longer infallible, there is an opening for a goalkeeper in the academy to impress in the pre-season and fill that spot.
Radek Vitek will be vying for it as well after impressing at a much higher level in Austria with BW Linz, but Harrison will nonetheless want progression.
It can either come at United, where he becomes the backup goalkeeper (unlikely), or it comes in the form of a loan to a higher-division side, much like the path traveled by Dean Henderson when he was breaking through at Old Trafford.
Either way, the lowering of his shirt number suggests Ruben Amorim has a bigger plan in store for him. It’s a reward for his progress.