Donny van de Beek admits he must leave Manchester United if he can’t break into Erik ten Hag’s side. The midfielder is open to quitting in January but has no regrets over his move to Old Trafford.
United signed Van de Beek from Ajax in 2020 for a fee of £35million and he was expected to be a key player for the years that followed after building a growing reputation on the domestic and international scene. However, it hasn’t gone how either the player or his club would have wanted.
He has made just 62 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils. That includes just six starts in the Premier League, the last of which came in January this year.
Van de Beek has featured just twice so far this term, with his substitute appearances constituting 21 minutes on the pitch. The 26-year-old has overcome the knee injury that kept him out of the second half of last season.
He has now broken rank by admitting he is desperate to play, even if it means leaving United at the next opportunity in January. Van de Beek said: “I am bouncing to play matches again. The manager is making different choices now. We have a big squad and I am not the only one knocking on the door. We’ll see in January what happens.
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“I need to start playing games very soon – if not at Man United then at another club. I think I have to be ambitious.
“I have always been a lover of the game. I am absolutely crazy about football. I earn a good living at United, but money is not my motivation. I want to enjoy my work every day.
“Last season I was sidelined for months due to my knee injury. You miss it terribly. I appreciate even more that I have a fabulous job. I am at a legendary club and I am still proud every day to wear the Manchester United shirt.
“But I am bursting with energy now that I am top fit again and I am really training like an animal. The time has come to make a different choice.”
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Van de Beek came through the ranks at Ajax, winning an Eredivisie title and helping the club reach the Champions League semi-finals in 2019. He says he could never turn down a move to United though.
He added: “I had had five seasons in the first team of Ajax, won trophies, played Champions League, we beat Juventus, Bayern, Real Madrid – and then Manchester United came along. You just don’t say ‘no’ to ‘Man United then, nobody would.”
Van de Beek would be excused for looking back on his time at United as a spell in his career he would want to forget. But he admits he has built a strong feeling for the club in his three years in England.
He said: “Despite the huge size of the club and the volatile period United is going through, for me it remains a very warm club. A family club too. Yes, really. There are so many nice and kind people working here, you build a bond with them as a player.
“Those people have been there all their lives, from the kit man to the lady behind the counter I see every morning. There is so much passion for their club, you saw that again around the death of our legend Bobby Charlton.
“I’m the first to take a critical look at myself. People often talk about this being a mega-club. That is true, but even then it is difficult to see from the outside how big the club really is. It is such an unprecedented football stronghold.
“I had hoped for more games when I was playing well, so you get into a flow. But you have to deal with more factors.
“Everyone wants to make United successful again, but they are not succeeding – and it’s hard to put your finger on it.”
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