Manchester United could be on the cusp of signing their first player of the summer with Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek. According to The Sun, the 23-year-old was left out of the Ajax squad with manager Erik ten Hag citing ‘developments’ regarding the future of the player so he missed the pre-season friendly against Eintracht Frankfurt, a 2-1 victory for the home side. It was suggested that both Barcelona and Real Madrid were also interested in signing the midfielder this summer.
However, according to ESPN’s Alex Shaw, United are the frontrunners for the Dutchman this summer. This is a good sign for United, who are obviously seeking to sign a central defender, a midfielder and a winger this summer, which will go a long way to solving some of the problems regarding quality in the overall squad. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a decent starting XI but when rotation needs to happen, the quality of those players coming in are a massive decline based on the past season.
Ten Hag speaking about Van de Beek being left out of the squad, said:
“There are indeed developments that prevent him from being in the selection.
“We are looking at how that will end.”
Earlier this year, before the coronavirus pandemic, it was reported that the Dutchman was on his way to Real Madrid this summer in a deal that could have been worth £47 million. However, the financial repercussions of the pandemic has caused ongoing problems for clubs this summer with the Madrid side suggesting that they would not make any big signings this summer, concentrating on trimming the fat and getting rid of the players that are not longer required at the club.
Van de Beek is a player that has been linked with an exit from Ajax, as many players do in search of moving onto a higher level of the game. United have a good relationship with Ajax, especially with former goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar being the clubs CEO. The now retired goalkeeper once stated that the player could leave the club this summer for the right price, presumably not allowing the player to leave on the cheap, despite the financial after effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
If United actually sign Van de Beek this summer, it could give Solskjaer a fantastic midfield with Bruno Fernandes, 25, Paul Pogba, 27, Van de Beek, 23, Nemanja Matic, 32 and Scott McTominay, 23 as the main midfielders in the squad with Andreas Pereira and Fred both linked with an exit from the Old Trafford club this summer. There will be scope to add a sixth player to the midfield from the academy with James Garner and Dylan Levitt both performing well and the likes of Hannibal Mejbri coming through the ranks.
Written by John Walker
