Edwin van der Sar gives verdict on Donny van de Beek’s situation at Man United
Edwin van der Sar admits he feels "sad" for Donny van de Beek after a tough first season at Man United
Edwin van der Sar has admitted that he feels “sad” for Donny van de Beek after his switch to Manchester United has failed to work out.
The Netherlands international completed a £40m move to Manchester United last summer after building a glowing reputation at Ajax.
But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has used the Dutch midfielder sparingly despite Van de Beek being Manchester United’s biggest outlay of the 2020 summer transfer window.
De Beek has started just two Premier League games since his switch to Old Trafford, scoring his only top-flight goal in a 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace at the start of the campaign.
The Netherlands international hasn’t featured in Manchester United’s Europa League campaign despite helping Ajax to reach the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.
The 24-year-old has been linked with a potential return to Ajax on loan following a difficult debut campaign at Manchester United.
Former Manchester United goalkeeper Van der Sar, who is currently the chief executive at Ajax, has spoken of his disappointment for Van de Beek.
“Of course I feel sad for Donny,” Van der Sar told ESPN.
“He walked the perfect path before joining United. He joined the [Ajax] first team from the academy, became a starter, won trophies, performed in Europe.
“But the midfield of Manchester United is too stacked, they’ve not had any injuries. It’s hard for him.”
Van de Beek has scored one goal in 32 games in all competitions this term.
The Dutch midfielder was a key part of the Ajax side between 2016 and 2020 before his switch to Manchester United.
Van de Beek scored 41 goals in 175 appearances for the Dutch side to help Ajax win the Eredivisie title in 2019.
