Donny van de Beek has capabilities but he has to prove himself, asserts Erik ten Hag

Having thrived under Erik ten Hag’s tutelage at Ajax, a lot was expected from Donny van de Beek when he signed for Manchester United and rejected Real Madrid in the process. However, over the last two years, things haven’t gone according to plan for the now 25-year-old as he has struggled to find his footing in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team. So much so, that Van de Beek left on loan in January 2022 to Everton although injuries and other issues saw him struggle there as well.

However, with the appointment of former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag as Manchester United’s new manager, there has been a lot of hype around Van de Beek’s future at the club. But in light of that, Ten Hag admitted that the 25-year-old has to “prove himself” in order to earn a place but revealed that he knows “Donny has the capabilities” to do so. The new United boss also added that the coaching staff and he can only do so much for a player and that they need to take that next step.

“It's the same for every player, he has to do it by himself. Me as a manager and the coaching staff around him can do everything to set the right conditions so he can perform but in the end, the player has to do it by himself. They have to take responsibility for their performance. Donny has the capability. I have seen it but he has to prove himself. They have to take responsibility for their performance. Donny has the capabilities, I have seen it, but he has to prove himself,” Ten Hag said, reported the Athletic.