Donny van de Beek's Man United exit, behind the scenes 'chaos' and new chapter

Donny van de Beek pinpointed the knee injury he suffered in January 2023 as the pivotal moment that spelled the end of his Manchester United career.

The midfielder, who was acquired for £35m from Ajax back in September 2020 - a transfer initially hailed as a coup - struggled to secure a regular spot in the team under then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Despite the subsequent sacking of Solskjaer and the interim appointment of Ralf Rangnick, Van de Beek remained on the fringes of the first team, leading him to join Everton on a temporary loan deal.

The arrival of Erik ten Hag in spring 2022, who had previously managed Van de Beek during his most successful period, appeared to offer a fresh chance at United. The Dutch international saw some action during the autumn but failed to leave a lasting impression before an unfortunate injury sustained in United's 3-0 win over Bournemouth in January 2023 took him out for the rest of the season.

ALSO READ: Ratcliffe breaks silence on United ticket price hike

ALSO READ: The uncomfortable truth about Martinez's performances

With only 10 appearances across competitions before the injury, the incident felt like a final blow. Now with Girona who take on Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday, Van de Beek reflected on his stint at Manchester in a recent intrerview with The Athletic, expressing his initial optimism: "I think the start was quite good. When I played, I think in the start of the season, I did well, and then for different reasons... I don't know exactly but I didn't play.

"It's difficult to get to the heart of the painful spot, but that's what it is. I think that this can happen. In some places, it's clicking but sometimes, in other situations, it's not."

"I think