Ten Hag publicly tells Man Utd star to leave
Robin Bairner
- 2 Dec 2023 10:10 GMT
- 3 min read
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has told Donny van de Beek to leave Old Trafford for the good of his career.
Van de Beek joined Man Utd from Ajax in 2020 for €39 million but has failed to make the expected impression at the Premier League giants.
This season, he has been restricted to just 21 minutes of competitive football and was not even picked to start the League Cup loss against Newcastle at home.
Troubled by injury problems, Van de Beek has often struggled to make the matchday squad this season and now Ten Hag has publicly recognised that leaving is likely to be the best solution for his fellow Dutchman.
Speaking to the media, the former Ajax boss stated: “I really think Donny has to play.
“It was a slow start in the season because he still recovered from physical setbacks. But now he is back... and I can see that he has to play. For his career, for everything.”
Van de Beek is Man Utd’s forgotten man
Van de Beek has dropped well down the pecking order at Man Utd, with youngster Kobbie Mainoo the latest player to leapfrog him thanks to his sparkling recent displays. If he wants to have any type of chance of playing for Netherlands at Euro 2024, he will need to play more regularly.
The 26-year-old was not short of suitors in the summer, having revealed that Real Sociedad wanted to move for him only for the deal to breakdown. There was also plenty of other interest, with Ligue 1 side Lorient close to securing his services only for the Dutchman to turn them down.
FootballTransfers revealed that a good solution for Van de Beek could be following former Man Utd teammate Cristiano Ronaldo to Al-Nassr, where he could be offered plenty of playing time and reasonably competitive football in the Saudi Pro League.
Exactly what offers are on the table for Van de Beek ahead of the January transfer window are as yet unclear, but if the summer is anything to go by, he will not be short of these.
