DONNY VAN DE BEEK has linked his ongoing injury problems with being benched during his nightmare spell at Manchester United.
Van de Beek‘s was forced to undergo surgery on his Achilles last week after a confidence-building debut season with Girona.
Donny van de Beek’s career took a downward spiral when he joined Man Utd in 2020
The Dutchman said injuries came after being sidelined for extended periods of time
The former Man Utd and Ajax midfielder rediscovered his love for the game with 35 appearances for the LaLiga side this season.
It marked a significant step in his quest to rediscover a run of form that once made him one of Europe‘s most wanted players.
In fact, Van de Beek was so keen to impress that he pushed through a disastrous pain barrier to help Girona retain their LaLiga status this term.
He told SPORTbible: “I’ve had this Achilles issue for a while and kept playing through it, but it got too much in the end.”
The 28-year-old has suffered another setback and will miss the final game of the season on Sunday after having surgery on his left ankle.
The Dutchman has endured several different injuries since his doomed £35million move from Ajax to Old Trafford in 2020.
And Van de Beek as now linked his fitness issues to his extended time spent on the bench during his four years at Man Utd.
He said: “It’s difficult to build rhythm and confidence when you’re constantly being sidelined.
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“It’s hard to be at your best when you’re in and out of the team, and I think when you’re not playing regularly.
“Your body isn’t used to the intensity and you become more prone to injuries. The lack of consistent minutes didn’t help either.”
From thighs, groins and hamstrings, to a huge knee injury that kept him out for 179 days, Van de Beek spent more and more time in the medical room.
And it was the same at during his loan spells at Goodison Park and Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt.
After starting just four league games in his debut season under Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, Van de Beek started three consecutive games for the first time under Erik ten Hag after two years in 2022.
But a brutal season-ending injury against Bournemouth, wiped out that momentum.
I’ll be watching on Wednesday night. I still love to see United play and hope they can win it.
Van de Beek
Van de Beek added: “I think I deserved more chances, especially in my first year.
“I didn’t play all the time, but when I did, I had some good games. I was convinced I would get more opportunities.
“I felt good, and thought, ‘Okay, my time will come’ but for some reason, it didn’t happen.
“After a year or two, it gets harder because if you don’t get a longer run of games then it’s difficult to prove yourself.”
But the Dutchman still holds Man Utd close to his heart and his family have fond memories of living in Manchester.
And he’ll be cheering Ruben Amorim’s side from afar against Tottenham in the Europa League final – four years after being part of the United squad that fell to a penalty shoot-out defeat against Villarreal.
He said: “I’ll be watching on Wednesday night. I still love to see United play, and I stay in contact with a lot of people from the club.
“I really hope they can win it, they deserve it. The fans have been through a lot recently.
“I never had any bad experiences with the fans. We had a great relationship. They were always so good to me.
“That gave me a lot of energy, especially during difficult moments.
“The fans and staff deserve so much better than what’s happening now. It’s tough to see.”
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