Donny Van de Beek is already making an impact at Girona, Bruno Fernandes is impressed

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Manchester United have struggled to get rid of unwanted players in the summer. One exception was Donny van de Beek, who was practically given away.

Four miserable seasons at Manchester United came to an end for Donny van de Beek this summer.

Van de Beek clinched a move to Spanish side Girona early in the transfer window, for a paltry fee of £500,000.

This sale was laced with add-ons which could vastly inflate the fee. For club and player, this was the right decision, to cut ties and move on.

• READ MORE: Manchester United confirmed signings, transfers in, out, loan exits, releases for 2024/25

Donny van de Beek on target for Girona

Donny van de Beek is looking to relaunch his career at Girona. He had the same hopes during loan spell at Everton and Eintracht Frankfurt, which both fell flat, and at Manchester United when Erik ten Hag was appointed in 2022.

This time, he has a completely clean slate, and the opening signs at Girona look positive.

At the weekend Van de Beek was selected as part of the Girona starting XI which took on Antonio Conte’s new-look Napoli in a pre-season friendly, and he made an immediate impact.

Van de Beek scored the opening goal of the game in a 2-0 victory for Girona, netting in the 23rd minute.

The Dutchman pounced on a goalkeeper error, taking the ball around Alex Meret and slotting it into the net.

Van de Beek progress

While just a friendly game, Van de Beek was thrilled to enjoy the feeling of putting the ball in the back of the net. It was the first time he had done so since scoring for Manchester United in pre-season against Lyon in July 2023.

Van de Beek wrote on Instagram: “Great game yesterday in Italy, happy to score my first goal for the club!”

Former Manchester United teammate Bruno Fernandes responded with three ‘heart emojis’, showing his support for Van de Beek.

This was not quite Van de Beek’s first game for Girona, he had featured in an earlier friendly match against Toulouse.

And as he will know from his time at Manchester United, positives pre-seasons do not automatically convert into success when competitive games come about.

But after a very difficult 2023/24, Van de Beek can be especially pleased with how his stint in Spain has begun.