Erik ten Hag isn’t picking Donny van de Beek at Manchester United for one reason

Erik ten Hag, despite many people’s hypothesis, has not favoured Donny van de Beek over Bruno Fernandes at Manchester United.

Donny van de Beek joined Manchester United for a fee of just over £30 million from Ajax back in September 2020 and was seen as someone who could become a defining figure at the club.

Despite scoring in his debut, the Dutch midfielder was never given a true chance by then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær, and when Erik ten Hag joined the club, many thought the manager would reinstate Van de Beek to his former glories.

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This, however, never materialised, with Van de Beek now free to leave the club in order to raise sales for further squad improvement funding.

The Dutchman scored on his return to the side after an injury in January ruled him out for the remainder of the 2022/23 season, thumping home a Dan Gore cross during a 1-0 pre-season victory over Lyon in July.

The volley became Van de Beek’s only significant contribution to pre-season, with the player barely featuring beyond that moment in any of Ten Hag’s preferred squads.

This trend has continued into the campaign, with Van de Beek not being chosen for selection by Ten Hag for one key reason – the Dutch manager is refusing to consider him unless he stays at the club beyond next Friday’s transfer deadline.

This is according to the MEN, who say there is a “question mark” surrounding his future – Unite and Van de Beek were contacted by Real Sociedad earlier this summer in relation to a move, but this never materialised.

The window closes in fewer than eight days.