According to Erik ten Hag, Donny van de Beek failed at Manchester United because of injuries and competition for places.
After spending £40 million to purchase Van de Beek from Ajax in 2020, United were unable to provide the midfielder a consistent spot in the lineup. As a result, the player decided to leave the club and will now spend the rest of the season on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt.
ten Hag had previously worked with the Dutchman at Ajax but he believes the 26-year-old was unable to duplicate his success in the Eredivisie because of injuries sustained at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag said: ‘Yes, he has had many injuries and that is first of all.
‘I have now worked two years with him and before he worked under different managers here as well. He had another loan as well. From the moment I came here at Man United, he wasn’t the player I had at Ajax because he was injured and so many times he was unavailable.
‘Then he struggled for a long time with recovering from that injury. So I think that is probably the main reason for why he wasn’t playing.
‘Then we decided on a loan in the summer and nothing came, then his opportunities were so few because also we made appointments and agreements with players and there was conflict in those positions, the competition was high.’
The United manager was asked if Van de Beek’s struggles can put off new signings at the club, he replied:
‘That is always on the players and what confidence you have. Your capabilities.
‘I can tell you one thing and that is that the Premier League is tough and at Man United it is tough to play here, because in every other team it is easier to play there because there is less pressure.
‘It is so high and you have to deal with that. But if you have confidence in yourself, than I think this is the best challenge.
‘Definitely it is the best club you want to be at and that depends from player to player, it is also about the character. The personality of the player.’
