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Manchester United’s struggle to move first-team players on during the summer transfer window was a major reason behind manager Erik ten Hag not getting more players.
The likes of Harry Maguire, Scott McTominay, Donny van de Beek, and Eric Bailly were all for sale with the Ivory Coast international eventually leaving on a free.
The Dutch midfielder has endured a nightmarish spell since his arrival at Old Trafford and his fortunes did not improve even with the arrival of his former Ajax coach.
Donny’s struggles at United
Such has been Van de Beek’s fall from grace that he was excluded from United’s Champions League squad and he is unlikely to see many minutes between now and January.
The 26-year-old was linked with moves to Galatasaray and Fenerbahce while the likes of Anderlecht and Lorient turned down the chance to sign the midfielder.
United were so desperate to offload the Netherlands international that they were even looking at straight loan exits with even Qatar being a possible destination.
This was not what Van de Beek had in mind when he arrived in Manchester from Ajax, after a fabulous season both on a personal and club level.
The Peoples Person had reported earlier in the summer that Ajax were thinking about coming in for their former star but it did not materialise.
And now AD (via Sport Witness) have claimed that former football director Sven Mislintat was not in favour of re-signing the versatile midfielder while manager Maurice Steijn was open to the idea.
Disagreements at Ajax over Donny
“The fact that he wanted Donny van de Beek and Nicolas Tagliafico will probably go down well with the supporters with their whining about the Ajax DNA, which no one knows exactly.
“But you can still ask yourself whether Ajax would be helped if those boys were to return. Van de Beek has rarely played in recent years.”
Ajax have started the new season in poor fashion and based on his displays for United, the 26-year-old would not have managed to make too much of a difference for the Dutch giants.
Whether a return to Ajax can reinvigorate the faltering career of Van de Beek remains to be seen. At this stage, United are willing to sanction his exit to any club that are prepared to pay the highest.
