Donny van de Beek Absent From Netherlands Training for Man Utd Medical

Donny van de Beek has been given a temporary leave of absence from Netherlands international duty in order to complete his prospective £40m transfer to Manchester United from Ajax.

The 23-year-old, who was previously thought to be a target for Real Madrid, is edging closer to becoming the first signing of the summer at Old Trafford.

Van de Beek has been in the Netherlands squad for upcoming UEFA Nations League games against Poland Italy over the coming week, but Dutch outlet NOS reports that Van de Beek has been given permission to leave the camp for undergo a United medical in Amsterdam.

The Ajax star wasn’t involved at the first Dutch training session, although he is expected to return to the team hotel in the central city of Zeist upon his return from the capital by the end of Monday.

It was a similar situation when United signed Anthony Martial during an international break five years ago and the forward was given permission to temporarily leave France’s training base.

Van de Beek is expected to sign a five-year contract with United and fans will hope that he can add depth to midfield areas and lessen the creative burden on Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes – the latter looked exhausted in the closing stages of the 2019/20 campaign.

United have a strong history of Dutch stars in the Premier League era, from Ruud van Nistelrooy, to Robin van Persie, Jaap Stam and Edwin van der Sar, even the dependable Raimond van der Gouw.

There have, however, been a few flops, with Memphis Depay failing to live up to expectation following his arrival from PSV Eindhoven in 2015. Jordi Cruyff carried the weight of living up to his father’s name and made an impressive start back in 1996, only to see injuries limit his impact.

For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on Twitter and Facebook!