Midfielder is available for loan after a miserable year and a half in which it is hard to understand why he has had so few chances
![The mystery of Donny van de Beek, Manchester United’s player non grata](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a545c3f92a4dafcf149b9e7edec6c97ee7accaf9/0_0_5337_3203/master/5337.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=907ef5816ff4b1587ea6db510a342b9d)
Donny van de Beek’s club career statistics: Ajax (2015-20), 41 goals, 34 assists, 175 appearances – 90 in central midfield, 68 attacking midfield, 14 defensive midfield, one wide left and two in the final moments.
Manchester United (2020-present), two goals, two assists, 50 appearances, 18 in central midfield, 14 attacking midfield, three defensive midfield, three wide left and 12 too short to matter.
This cliff-face fall-off in numbers between Van de Beek’s first and current clubs points to the mysterious case of a Dutch‑schooled Netherlands first choice with
Champions League quarter- and semi-final goals on his CV who joined United and instantly became player non grata.