DONNY VAN DE BEEK has already been rated by the Spanish press despite just one start for new club Girona.
Manchester United’s Dutch flop completed an initial £400,000 move to the LaLiga outfit this summer after dud loan spells at Everton and Eintracht Frankurt.
Van de Beek was expected to become a key for the Red Devils when he joined from Ajax for £36million in 2020.
But he ended up making just 62 appearances in four years at Old Trafford, with 36 of those coming in the first season.
Van de Beek’s haul of two goals also came nowhere near the 41 he netted in four terms at Ajax.
And he was promptly shipped off to Girona in July for a fresh start.
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Van de Beek has so far made three appearances in the league, all of which have come from the bench.
But he was handed his first start in last week’s 1-0 Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
And the Spanish press have already delivered their verdict on the midfielder.
News of his start came as a shock following reports that he had struggled to settle in Spain.
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But despite that, the media say Van de Beek’s performance against PSG shows that he is not finished as a player just yet.
Spanish outlet Sport said: “In PSG’s pressure on the ball, he and Ivan [Martin] led the defensive block, high and with the defensive line planted in the centre of the field.
“He did not spare any effort, which is why he gave the impression that he was ‘there but not there’, or that he was not very involved with the ball.”
They continued: “Now, can you ask for more from him ? Yes and no. Yes, because he has the quality and experience to come back and be what he once was.
“And no, because, really, Van de Beek is no longer the Van de Beek of Ajax.”
Van de Beek will now be hoping to build on his initial appearances, as will United.
That’s because his initial £400k move could reach as high as £7.5m if Van de Beek hits a series of clauses.
HIs last appearance came from the bench in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Valencia.
And the ace will be hoping for his first league start in tonight’s match against Rayo Vallecano.
What we know about the ‘new’ Old Trafford
MANCHESTER UNITED plan to build a new stadium rather than redevelop Old Trafford.
The decision was made after a number of fact-finding missions to other stadiums including the Bernabeu and Nou Camp.
The cost of the project is expected to be a staggering £2billion.
A capacity of 100,000 is expected.
It is felt that a club of United’s standing should have a new state-of-the-art facility.
The new stadium will be built on land adjacent to the Red Devils’ current home.
United are looking to not only build a stadium but regenerate the area of Trafford where the ground will stand.
There had been plans to KEEP Old Trafford rather than demolish it, and use it as a scaled down second venue.
However, it’s looking increasing likely that it will in fact be entirely demolished.
The club consulted with 30,000 fans about what to do and believe there is roughly a 50-50 split on staying or moving.
The club have appointed the architects Foster + Partners to come up with a “masterplan”. The company were behind Wembley Stadium.
Old Trafford has been United’s home since 1910.
The target is for completion by 2030.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
