‘He wasn’t the player he was at Ajax’ – Ten Hag on Van de Beek

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag says Donny van de Beek’s stint at Manchester United was ruined by injuries and his experience should not deter other players from joining the club.

The 26-year-old has joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan until the end of the season after failing to establish himself at United under three different managers since signing from Ajax in the summer of 2020.

The £35 million midfielder made only 23 games over his three and a half years at Old Trafford, and had already spent time on loan when he joined Everton for the second part of the 2021-22 season, where he was again hindered by injuries.

Ten Hag previously worked with Van de Beek at Ajax but hopes that a reunion in Manchester would help the midfielder’s prospects were dashed.

“He has had many injuries, first of all,” Ten Hag said. “From the first moment I came in here at Manchester United, he wasn’t the player he was at Ajax because he was injured. So many times he was not available and then he struggled for a long time to recover from that injury.

“That is probably the main reason why he was not playing. We decided for a loan in the summer but it didn’t come and then his opportunities are few because also we make appointments and we make agreements with players and contract players in that position. The competition was high.”

Van de Beek will be hoping the test in Germany will be good enough to give Ten Hag a headache in the summer.