Manchester United have failed to build on an encouraging debut season under the leadership of Erik ten Hag, winning just half of their Premier League matches so far in 2023/24.
The Old Trafford side have found the Champions League rather more difficult than first expected following their return to the elite competition, losing to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray across their opening two matches, and it means Ten Hag is the first United boss to achieve this.
Although the Dutchman managed to recruit the likes of Andre Onana, Mason Mount, Rasmus Hojlund and Sofyan Amrabat during the summer transfer window, it wasn’t the window that many of the supporters expected.
Combine this with the fact he still has players such as Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Anthony Martial in his squad, who have been at United for 18 years combined, and the depth of his squad is hardly ideal.
Another player who is still at the Red Devils despite a lack of playing time and potential future is Donny van de Beek and if Ten Hag wants to establish his side as one of the best in England and lead them to their first league crown since 2013, this deadwood simply has to go.
Van de Beek in particular has been a dreadful signing and another case of United splashing the cash on a talented gem who has failed to live up to expectations while seeing their market value decline rapidly.
How much did Man United sign Donny van de Beek for?
Following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first full season as manager, where he led the Old Trafford side to a third-place finish in the Premier League during the 2019/20 campaign – their second highest since last winning the title – and he was looking to continue the momentum which had been gathering.
Edinson Cavani was lured to Manchester on a free transfer, while Alex Telles and Facundo Pellistri were also signed as promising youngsters who could become a part of the senior side in the years to come.
It was the arrival of Ajax starlet Van de Beek however which looked as though it could be their best signing that summer, especially judging by his performances for the Dutch side over the previous 12 months.
The Dutchman joined for a transfer fee in the region of £39m and the 23-year-old signed a five-year contract with the club had all worked out well, the move would have turned out to be an excellent bargain.
Fast-forward three years though, and the midfielder has struggled majorly with football in the Premier League and his value has diminished rapidly during that time period.
How much is Donny van de Beek worth now?
When he joined United, his market value stood at €39m (£33.6m) according to Football Transfers and this meant they had overpaid slightly, yet with his relatively young age plus his experience on the biggest stage, there was no doubt his value would increase rapidly.
2022/23
7
0
0
2021/22
15
2
0
2020/21
19
1
1
Stats via Sofascore
Just six months later, his market value had risen to €55m (£47.5m) and it certainly looked as though this upward trend could continue.
Unfortunately, that was the highest figure it would reach and two and a half months later, he is now worth only €8.4m (£7.2m), representing an 81% decline from the initial transfer fee paid to sign him in September 2020.
He becomes just another expensive cog in a faltering machine and is it any wonder they haven’t reestablished themselves at the summit of English football in recent years?
Why has Donny van de Beek’s value dropped?
During his spell at Ajax, the Dutchman mainly operated either in a central or attacking midfield role and this allowed him to burst forward often and showcase his creative talents.
Indeed, across 175 games for the Dutch giants, he scored 41 goals and grabbed 34 assists, making him an attractive option for many European clubs and United obviously won the race for his signature.
During his first full season, he made 30 appearances for United, yet managed just one goal and one assist, a staggering drop from his often excellent totals at Ajax.
His performances didn’t get better during his second term either as he made only eight appearances for the Red Devils in the league before being loaned out to Everton and across the whole Premier League season, he started just five games.
Not only that, but the Dutchman succeeded with just 29% of his attempted dribbles, averaged just 25.5 touches and made 0.3 key passes per game, hardly the sort of form that was going to establish him as a regular at Old Trafford.
Injuries haven’t helped his cause either, and he has missed a grand total of 48 games under Ten Hag, indicating that he hasn’t been able to really get any sort of form to prove to his former boss why he should be in the starting XI.
When he was given a chance, Van de Beek ranked way down in 26th position across the United squad for Sofascore rating (6.49) while ranking 15th for key passes per game (0.4) and 17th for successful dribbles per game (0.3) and his performances were criticised.
Journalist Steven Railston lamented his display against Aston Villa last November, saying: “MUFC never recovered after conceding two early goals and they were second-best all over the pitch. A really disappointing performance. Donny van de Beek was anonymous again and he shouldn't be anywhere near the starting XI. Bruno Fernandes couldn't return quick enough.”
The Red Devils have certainly endured a transfer howler on the 27-year-old as he has simply failed to live up to any sort of early promise when joining.
It’s a shame as he could have developed into one of the finest midfielders on the continent had he continued his rapid upward trajectory at a club like United, yet it clearly hasn’t panned out well.
Due to injury problems and a lack of squad depth, Ten Hag has still given him two appearances this term, albeit he has played only 21 minutes, but it looks as though his career at United is basically dead in the water.
What next for the 6-foot Dutchman is anyone’s guess, but if he doesn’t return to some kind of form sooner rather than later, he could end up forgotten about almost as quickly as he appeared on the scene, that’s for sure.