Manchester United left red-faced by £40m transfer that nobody thought could go wrong

It's illuminating to flick through the archives now from early September 2020, when Manchester United had just signed Donny van de Beek for £35m, rising to £40m with add-ons. It was one of those few deals that seemed to unite everyone in its merits. Dissenting voices were almost impossible to find.

Rafael van der Vaart felt the move was deserved for Van de Beek and perfect for United. "Manchester United really need this kind of player in their team," he said.

"This transfer is fantastic for us [Dutch] too. We are all going to follow him now. This move is so deserved."

The Dutch long stopped following Van de Beek and barely a paragraph will be dedicated to him this week, as the national team prepares for a European Championship semi-final with England.

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Micah Richards will be on punditry duty for the game in Germany. He was once an ardent admirer of Van de Beek too.

"Van de Beek is a wonderful player. He has so much skill and is very comfortable on the ball," he said at the time of the signing.

"I've got to give United a lot of credit for how they did that deal to bring him in from Ajax. There was hardly any whisper of it and then — Bam, there he is at Old Trafford! It looks like an excellent piece of business."

Then there were the supporters. Van de Beek, Fernandes and Paul Pogba gave United "one of the most promising midfields in Europe", said one Twitter user.

"A good amount of CL experience, hard working & versatile, excellent movement in & around the box, will chip in with goals + assists, only 23 years old & he only cost £35m. Donny van de Beek will be an