Sale of ‘one of the worst signings’ in Man Utd history now assured, as flop finally admits defeat
Fabrizio Romano declared a Manchester United flop “will leave in January for sure”, and his comments suggest the player has finally admitted defeat on his woeful Old Trafford spell.
It’s fair to say Man Utd have a chequered record in the transfer market in the post-Ferguson era. Making Paul Pogba their record signing to the tune of £89m will feature highly on any list of worst United signings over the last decade.
Jadon Sancho (£73m) and Antony (£82m) are soaring up the charts with each passing week. However, according to a brutal report from the Spanish press, Donny van de Beek must not be ignored.
Back in July, one particular Spanish publication branded the Dutch midfielder ‘one of the worst signings in the history of Manchester United’.
Van de Beek cost £40m (£35m plus £5m in add-ons) when signed from Ajax back in 2020. However, his Man Utd career has never got out of second gear.
Injuries have disrupted his time in England, though even when fit, his impact has been minimal.
Indeed, Van de Beek’s 62 appearances for the Red Devils have seen a measly two goals and two assists returned.
Man Utd attempted to offload Van de Beek over the summer and a move to Spanish side Real Sociedad looked possible. La Real were hunting a playmaker following David Silva’s decision to retire after suffering an ACL injury.
The move ultimately fell through and resigned Van de Beek to another six months of misery at Old Trafford. He’s racked up just 21 minutes of action across all competitions this season and regularly fails to even make the substitutes bench.
Now, when speaking to The United Stand, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano insisted Van de Beek will leave in January.
READ MORE: The 2023-24 Premier League injury table: Chelsea, Man Utd issues beginning to clear…
Time up for Van de Beek, and he knows it
“Yes, Donny will leave in January for sure,” declared Romano. “He has to and he wants to because he wants to play.
“It’s a shame because Donny wanted to play for Man Utd, he loved this opportunity, but at the same time, he is never playing.
“He also knows after the injury he needs regular football. he can’t stay on the bench, not even on the bench, for a long time.”
Romano went on to explain why the Real Sociedad move fell through. Furthermore the option to join Galatasaray was in play, though Van de Beek vetoed the move.
“Last summer was not easy,” continued Romano. “Donny wanted to go to Real Sociedad, and Manchester United also wanted to participate in a transfer.
“But as we know, United made a number of financial demands that Real Sociedad could not meet.”
On the aborted Galatasaray switch, the reporter added: “United hoped he wanted that, but Donny decided not to do it.”
In any case, a belated exit in January is now set to take shape, though to where and in what guise is still to be determined.
From the player’s perspective, Romano concluded Van de Beek knows the time is right to draw a line under his dismal spell in Manchester.
“He’s a really good player,” Romano concluded. “But he has to keep playing. Playing 10 minutes in two months is not enough. So he leaves.”
DON’T MISS: Ten Hag plan eclipsed, as Man Utd contacted by Wolves with request to sign attacker in January
