January 8th 2024.
Erik ten Hag has weighed in on Donny van de Beek's struggles at Manchester United following his £40m move from Ajax in 2020. Ten Hag worked with Van de Beek at Ajax and believes injuries and competition for places played a key role in the midfielder's failure to make an impact at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag said: "He had a lot of injuries and that is the first point. When I came here at Man United, he wasn't the player I had at Ajax because he was injured and so many times unavailable. He struggled for a long time with recovering from that injury."
The Dutchman also highlighted the competition for places at United as a contributing factor to Van de Beek's lack of playing time. He commented: "We made appointments and agreements with players and there was conflict in those positions, the competition was high."
When asked if potential new signings could be put off joining United due to Van de Beek's struggles, Ten Hag had this to say: "It is always on the players and what confidence you have in your capabilities. The Premier League is tough and at Man United it is tough to play here, because there is so much pressure. But if you have confidence in yourself, then I think this is the best challenge. Definitely it is the best club you want to be at and that depends from player to player, it is also about the character, the personality of the player."
Van de Beek has since joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan for the remainder of the season. Ten Hag believes this will give the 26-year-old the opportunity to get regular game time and rediscover his best form.
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