'I gave everything!' - Man Utd flop Donny van de Beek claims he 'deserved more chances' at Old Trafford as he looks back on dismal four-year spell in England

Van de Beek has been enjoying regular football again at Girona after moving to the Catalan club from United for just £500,000 last summer. The Dutchman endured a nightmare four-year spell at Old Trafford after his 2020 move from Ajax as he made just 62 appearances and scored two goals for the club. However, looking back on his time in Manchester, Van de Beek feels that he did all he could to make the move a success, but circumstances conspired against him.

Speaking to Sport Bible, Van de Beek said: "I was with Ajax at a training camp in Austria. After a training session, I was recovering in the hotel spa when my agent phoned. He told me United had called and that talks were underway. I said, 'Just do it'. It was honestly incredible to be there. I remember my first training sessions—I had so much energy in my body. Being at such a big club was fantastic. I even scored in my first Premier League game, which was a great feeling.

"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. It was tough because sometimes you want more chances, but it’s not always in your hands. That’s how football is — some coaches give you more opportunities, others don’t. Looking back, I can say I gave everything in those years. I really tried to break into the team. I was convinced I could do it. I was confident I had the quality and ability to show something, but it just didn’t work out."

He added: "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. When you first arrive, you might get more chances, but that never happened for me. I always hoped to have a run of games, but I never really got that."

Despite enduring a disappointing spell at United, the midfielder claimed that he will back Ruben Amorim's side in the Europa League final on Wednesday against Spurs. "I’ll be watching on Wednesday night," Van de Beek added. "I still love to see United play, and I stay in contact with a lot of people from the club—players and staff. I really hope they can win it; they deserve it. The fans have been through a lot recently."

After the European final in Bilbao on Wednesday, Amorim's Red Devils will play their last league game of the 2024-25 campaign on Sunday against Aston Villa at home.