When Manchester United appointed Erik ten Hag as manager in April 2022, few would have welcomed the news more than Donny van de Beek.. The Netherlands midfielder had excelled under Ten Hag’s stewardship at Ajax, resulting in him earning a £35million move to Old Trafford in September 2020. He underwhelmed in his first two seasons in M16, failing to hit the high notes over the course of 50 appearances.. As a result, he was shipped out on loan in January 2022 to Everton, where he made a paltry seven appearances. The appointment of Ten Hag a few months later was meant to rekindle Van de Beek’s career.. READ MORE: United could let seven players go to start summer clear-out. READ MORE: Gary Neville delivers damning verdict on United’s ‘mad’ style. But almost two years to the day since Ten Hag’s appointment, Van de Beek has featured just 12 times for United and finds himself out on loan at German club Eintracht Frankfurt. The midfielder, who will turn 27 next week, joined the Bundesliga club in January after being restricted to just two substitute appearances for United in the first half of this campaign.. The loan deal features an option for Frankfurt to sign him permanently for €11million (£9.55m), plus €3m (£2.6m) in add-ons this summer. However he has played just six times for the Bundesliga outfit so far so it would suggest they are highly unlikely to take up that opportunity.. Having played just 18 times for United and Frankfurt combined since the start of last season, Van de Beek’s career has hit the buffers. He is stuck in a rut he cannot get out of and remains contracted to United until June 2025 with the option of an additional 12 months.. United are going to have to find a route to try and offload Van de Beek this summer, with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe planning to make big changes to the squad. United are planning for record sales this summer and want to become more proactive in the seller’s market.. Sir Jim Ratcliffe (right) and Sir David Brailsford are going to try and improve Manchester United’s success when it comes to selling players. (Image: Robin Jones/Getty Images.). United have a poor track record when it has come to selling players at the right time and for the right price in recent years, meaning Ratcliffe and the Ineos Group have to oversee a shift in direction. In Van de Beek’s case, United are unlikely to be inundated with offers.. There is no doubt the club will have to stomach a huge loss on his potential exit but finding a suitor who wants to sign him permanently will be the hardest challenge. It will represent one of the sternest and most complex challenges Ineos will face this summer when it comes to cutting United’s cloth and trying to raise funds to balance the books.. Ineos must improve United’s hit rate in the seller’s market and being able to find a buyer for Van de Beek, regardless of the price, will add another string to their bow and highlight how serious their intentions are. Van de Beek has had a disastrous time at Old Trafford and United need to find a way to end his nightmare as soon as possible. Shifting him, however, may represent one of the hardest challenges Ineos will face in the first stage of their rebuild.. Get United transfer news and updates on WhatsApp!. Our team of Manchester United experts are on top of all the goings-on at Old Trafford for this week and beyond, and you can get the latest team news, injury updates, reaction and analysis along with inside information to your phone by joining our new free WhatsApp community. You can also join the 50,000 (and growing!) band of United fans who are following our WhatsApp Channel.. Sign up to our community here, and join our WhatsApp channel here.. –. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
