Donny van de Beek: Ex-Man United star suffers new crushing career setback | OneFootball

Former Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek has been hit with a fresh blow as his career woes deepen.

United nightmare

When Van de Beek signed for United from Ajax in 2020, the move was met with significant fanfare and high expectations. However, to characterise his time in England as merely underwhelming would be a considerable understatement.

United forked out £35m + £5m add-ons to secure his services, beating the likes of Real Madrid in the transfer race.

The Dutchman arrived off the back of an excellent 2019/20 season with Ajax, where he was a key part of the Erik ten Hag team that reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019. Van de Beek struggled for regular playing time under then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

In the 2020/21 season, Van de Beek started only four Premier League games, contributing one goal in that period. The subsequent campaign saw him play even fewer minutes. He scored his second and final top-flight goal as a substitute in Solskjaer’s last game, a 4-1 defeat to Watford. He was then loaned to Everton in January 2022 but his fortunes at Goodison Park didn’t improve much.

Even Ten Hag’s appointment as United manager could not breathe life into Van de Beek. Another loan to Eintracht Frankfurt followed but he also failed to make an impact at the Bundesliga club.

The player permanently left United for Girona in July 2024 for a nominal €500k fee.

New low

When Van de Beek joined Girona, it was an exciting time for the club as they were preparing for their first-ever European campaign.

However, less than two years later, the City Football Group-owned team has been relegated from La Liga, marking a fresh new low for Van de Beek in his career.

Girona ended the season in 19th place with a paltry 41 points, a mere 12 points above rock-bottom Real Oviedo. Girona’s 1-1 draw with Elche on Saturday all but confirmed their fate.

Van de Beek, who missed a huge chunk of the season with an Achilles tendon rupture injury, only managed two top-flight appearances.

But he’s not the only former United player in the squad, with Daley Blind also part of the group that has gone down to Spain’s second tier.

Featured image Juan Manuel Serrano Arce via Getty Images

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