Manchester United have completed the signing of Donny van de Beek from Ajax, having agreed to pay £35 million (€39m/$46m) plus £5m in add-ons for the Netherlands international midfielder.
The 23-year-old joins on a 5-year deal with the option to extend for an additional season.
Here are 10 facts you need to know about the Dutchman.
1. Donny van de Beek was born on the 18th of April 1997 in Nijkerkerveen, Netherlands.
2. He joined the Ajax youth academy in 2008 and made his official debut for the club’s senior team in 2015 in a Europa League match against Celtic.
3. He won the Ajax Talent of the Future award in 2015.
4. Van de Beek was part of the youthful Ajax side that reached the Europa League final in 2017 where they lost to Manchester United.
5. He was also part of the Ajax team that made a fairytale run to the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League semi-finals. During that run, he made assists in matches against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid and scored decisive goals against Juventus and Tottenham Hotspurs in the quarterfinals and semi-finals respectively, with his performances that season earning him a place in the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d’Or.
6. On the 4th of November 2017, he made his international debut for the Netherlands against Romania and was part of the Dutch side that reached the UEFA Nations League final in 2019 — where they lost to Portugal.
7. He scored 10 goals and made 11 assists in all competitions in the 2019/20 season which was disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
(One of his goals was against Chelsea in the Champions League group stage).
8. On the 2nd of September 2020, Van de Beek joined Premier League giants Manchester United in a deal worth £35m (with a further £5m on add-ons) and signed a 5-year contract with the option to extend for another year, thus, ending his 12-year association with Ajax where he made close to 200 appearances and contributed 41 goals and 34 assists in all competitions for the first team.
9. At Manchester United, Van de Beek has opted to wear the number 34 jersey as a tribute to his former Ajax team-mate, Abdelhak Nouri — whose career ended when he collapsed in a friendly match in 2017 and suffered permanent brain damage which sent him into coma for more than two years.
10. Donny van de Beek is a central midfielder with excellent ball control, accurate/decisive passes and likes to make dangerous runs into the opposition area.
Bonus: Donny van de Beek is dating the daughter of Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp, Estelle Deborah Bergkamp.
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Written by Muftaudeen Abdullahi Ishola
