On Wednesday, Manchester United finally announced the acquistion of Ajax playmaker Donny van de Beek. Much like with their overall business this summer transfer window, they certainly took their sweet time.
As has been widely reported, close to three days ago, Old Trafford signed the 23-year-old Dutchman for a reported transfer fee of 44 million euros (£39.3 million). United were the last “big six” club to add a player this summer. The following tweet was posted a few minutes ago:
? VAN ?
?? DE ??
?? BEEK ??Welcome to United, @Donny_Beek6! ?#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 2, 2020
With a holding midfielder, or at least the kind of play-maker who can set up in a deeper role behind Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes in the fold, United can now focus their efforts elsewhere: a right-sided attacking player, centre half (Dayot Upamecano seems to be the next primary target), and left back depth.
“I cannot begin to explain how incredible an opportunity it is to join a club with such an amazing history,” says Van de Beek in the official statement of this transfer.
“I would like to thank everyone at Ajax, I grew up there and I will always have a special bond with the club. I am now ready to take the next step in my career and perform at the highest level and there is no higher standard than Manchester United.”
? We can't wait to see what the next chapter holds! ?#MUFC @Donny_Beek6 pic.twitter.com/Gskd6Ry8ob
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 2, 2020
“Donny has all of the technical attributes needed to perform in this team and has the personality required to succeed at Manchester United,” added manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“His ability to see space, time his movements and read the game will really complement the qualities that we have in midfield and his arrival really strengthens the depth of talent we have in that position.”
“Donny’s performances in the Eredivisie and in Europe have been excellent over the last few years and we are all looking forward to working with him.”
It's time to take it up a notch ??#MUFC @Donny_Beek6 pic.twitter.com/qeVpil7Y3D
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 2, 2020
Linked with the club for a very long time, the Donny van de Beek signing fills a need, and makes the team stronger. But is it enough to close the gap on Liverpool and Manchester City? No, definitely not and there is a still a lot of work to do yet this window, in order to get back to that level of quality.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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