Man Utd star confirms he is leaving with club making staggering loss on disaster signing

Donny van de Beek has confirmed his Manchester United exit ahead of his move to Spanish side Girona.

The Netherlands international arrived at Old Trafford from Ajax in the summer of 2020, with United fending off interest from Real Madrid to sign the midfielder.

But after four thoroughly underwhelming seasons, the 27-year-old will head to Spain for a fresh start with Girona – with United set to make a huge loss on the player.

United signed van de Beek for £34.7m with £4.4.m in add-ons. His move to Girona is setting the La Liga side back a very modest £500,000.

Van de Beek confirmed his departure with an emotional message to supporters on Instagram, thanking them for his ‘unforgettable’ experience.

‘Dear Manchester United family,’ he wrote. ‘Today is a memorable day as my adventure at the club comes to an end.

‘I want to thank you all for your support throughout the years. From the moment we arrived at Manchester United, we felt extremely welcome and we are grateful for that.

‘Thank you to everyone at the club for making us feel at home. A special thanks to all the fans that made these years unforgettable.

‘Besides the football, the birth of our two children here ensures that Manchester will always have a special place in our hearts. Good luck to everybody, we’ll meet again.’

Van de Beek was signed under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign but started just four league matches under the Norwegian in his first season in England.

In his second season, the Dutchman failed to start in the Premier League at all and following Solskjaer’s exit, was loaned out to Everton for the second-half of the season.

The appointment of Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford offered fresh hope. Van de Beek was an important figure under ten Hag in the Ajax side that reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019 but his fortunes at United did not improve.

He played nine times, just three of those starts, before a knee injury ended his season in January 2023.

After struggling to offload him, United omitted van de Beek from their Champions League squad at the start of the 2023-24 season. He joined Frankfurt in January in a deal that included an option to buy – one not taken up by the Bundesliga side.

Van de Beek will leave United after making just 62 appearances in four years, scoring two goals.