Three things have stopped Donny van de Beek reaching his Manchester United potential

The MEN reported last week that the arrival of Mason Mount will mean a midfield departure from Old Trafford in this transfer window. After failing to establish himself in any of his three seasons at United, or during his loan spell at Everton, the club are expected to be open to offers for the 26-year-old this summer.

The Dutchman arrived at United from Ajax in 2020 for £35m and started only four games in his first season, failing to display the form that had propelled an exciting Erik ten Hag side to a Champions League semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur in 2019. In his second season, he started no Premier League matches, saw minimal action under interim managers Michael Carrick and Ralf Rangnick, and was shipped on loan to Everton for the remainder of the season.

When Ten Hag arrived in the summer, however, there was a sense of newfound optimism for the midfielder's career. He described his lack of playing time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as a “mortal sin”. After all, Ten Hag had overseen the Netherlands international’s breakthrough into the Ajax first team.

Speaking to Marca in 2019, Ten Hag spoke of his desperation to keep Van de Beek at Ajax. He said: “We will do everything in our power to keep him at Ajax. We don't want to lose him, but when clubs of that calibre enter the situation, things get very difficult.

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“Donny was very important for us last season and has started this campaign with enthusiasm, freshness and lots of energy, his departure would be a loss.”

He may let the midfielder go without