Manchester United have suffered some major misses in the transfer market over the years with good money after bad thrown at the cause.
Manchester United’s recruitment since Sir Alex Ferguson’s 2013 retirement has been pretty dire.
We often think of the signings United missed out on over the years with real frustration.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted Moises Caicedo long before he became a Chelsea star whilst Antoine Griezmann rejected United in the Jose Mourinho era.
United have also splashed cash on the wrong signings and wasted so much money on players who just haven’t made an impact.
Antony may have impressed Bruno Fernandes but the Brazilian winger will go down as one of United’s worst signings in recent times.
Donny van de Beek on Manchester United fans
Antony arrived from Ajax in 2022 as United agreed a deal worth up to £85million for the wide man.
United didn’t really learn the lesson of Donny van de Beek and overpaid for an Eredivisie star.
United thought Van de Beek would be a huge difference-maker in midfield upon signing him from Ajax in 2020.
Van de Beek had racked up 27 goals and 24 assists across his final two seasons at Ajax but United never really saw that quality.
The Dutchman managed just two goals and two assists in 62 games for United and loans with Everton and Eintracht Frankfurt didn’t help get him back on track.
Van de Beek joined Girona over the summer as United decided to let him leave and attempt to get his career back on track in Spain.
Van de Beek lined up against Liverpool in the Champions League last week and has now spoken about
Speaking to former United goalkeeper Ben Foster, Van de Beek told Amazon Prime’s Instagram channel that he appreciates the messages he still receives from United fans.
Van de Beek believes that United fans are still cheering for him from afar and thanked supporters for that attitude towards him despite his struggles at Old Trafford.
“I still get a lot of messages from the United fans and, even in bad times, they always stay behind me.
“They deserve the best and it’s very nice that they still want me to play good and everything. It’s good, thank you,” said Van de Beek.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 11 |  BrentfordBrentford | 16 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 32 | 30 | 2 | 23 |
| 12 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 23 | 21 | 2 | 23 |
| 13 |  Man UtdManchester United | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 21 | 19 | 2 | 22 |
| 14 |  West HamWest Ham | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 21 | 29 | -8 | 19 |
| 15 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 16 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 17 | 21 | -4 | 16 |
Van de Beek backs himself to shine
Van de Beek has so much talent in his game but it just didn’t work out for him at United.
The 27-year-old has almost lost four years of his career since leaving Ajax with his moves sadly stifling his development.
United fans would certainly love to see Van de Beek get back on track at Girona and the midfielder thinks that he still has so much to offer.
Again speaking to Foster for Amazon Prime, Van de Beek believes that ‘the real Donny’ will emerge soon.
Van de Beek thinks that he has a real point to prove after leaving United and thinks that he still has so much to offer despite some difficult years.
“I feel also that I have something to prove and also for myself, to enjoy football again and that’s, I think, a positive thing. There’s so much in the body left, that’s what I have in my head – the positive mindset and I’m sure we will see the real Donny,” he added.
Van de Beek and Girona sit 10th in the La Liga table and 30th out of 36 in the Champions League table with last season’s magic deserting them so far this term.
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