Donny van de Beek posts emotional farewell message to Man Utd
- Van de Beek to depart Man Utd for Champions League qualifiers Girona
- Dutch midfielder struggled to make any kind of impact at Old Trafford
- Deal to sell Van de Beek includes several performance-related add-ons
By Tom Gott
Donny van de Beek has bid farewell to Manchester United as he closes in on a move to Girona.
United parted with £35m to sign Van de Beek in the summer of 2020, but the midfielder immediately struggled for game time and, while he did make 36 appearances in all competitions in his debut season, started just four times in the Premier League.
After a reunion with former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag failed to improve his situation, Van de Beek has finally sealed a move away from United, with La Liga high-flyers Girona set to snap up the Dutch midfielder.
"Dear Manchester United family. Today is a memorable day as my adventure at the club comes to an end," Van de Beek wrote on social media. "I want to thank you all for your support throughout the years.
"From the moment we arrived at Manchester United, we felt extremely welcome and we are grateful for that. Thank you to everyone at the club for making us feel at home. A special thanks to all the fans that made these years unforgettable.
"Besides the football, the birth of our two children here ensures that Manchester will always have a special place in our hearts. Good luck to everybody, we'll meet again."
Girona will pay just €500,000 (£420,000) up front to sign Van de Beek, although their agreement with United revolves around a series of performance-related add-ons.
Fabrizio Romano notes that there are "easy add-ons" to bring the deal closer to €5m (£4.2m), while United could even end up earning €15m (£12.7m) if Van de Beek triggers all the bonuses. BBC Sport put that final figure slightly higher at €20m (£16.9m).
Van de Beek leaves United with just 62 appearances and marginally over 2,000 minutes for the club across his four years at Old Trafford.
12 months of his tenure were spent out on loan. He ended the 2021/22 campaign with Everton, for whom he appeared just seven times, before Van de Beek added a further eight outings with Eintracht Frankfurt in the second half of last season.
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