Manchester United have reason to make unthinkable Donny van de Beek decision

Donny van de Beek might have had an airport taxi driver on standby this summer as Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag plotted an escape route for his one-time Ajax protégé.

For whatever reason, things have not gone to plan for Van de Beek since his £35million move to Old Trafford from the Eredivisie three years ago now. Even a reunion with Ten Hag did not improve his fortune or help him tot up the Premier League airmiles that would have, finally, justified his transfer fee.

Injury cut short his involvement last season and that cruel intervention looked to be the final chance gone. Van de Beek recovered and sharpened up his shooting boots during the pre-season programme, but they were soon to be packed up and, seemingly, readied for hand luggage.

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"It's hard to say where my future is," said Van de Beek during an honest reflection of where he might stand at the club in pre-season. "I've come back now after injury and I'm fit now, so I played my first minutes after training for a few weeks and I'll try to push as hard as possible this season."

He continued: "Every day [something] can happen, so it's hard to say now where my future will be. In football you never know, especially with me, let's see what happens."

That last sentence particularly hits home. Van de Beek has simply not been able to catch a break.

Starting just six Premier League games since swapping Amsterdam for Manchester during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Netherlands risked everything to take the next step in his career after shining for Ten Hag at Ajax, especially so during their magical run to the Champions League