The last decade for Manchester United has been one to forget, both on and off the field.

From underachieving managers to underwhelming transfers, very little over this period can be classified as a success.

Therefore, let’s take a look at a player who failed to live up to the expectations of a Man United player.

Donny Van de Beek before United

The 2018/19 season was when Donny Van de Beek made a name for himself as one of the most promising midfielders in Europe.

Ajax dominated the Eredivisie, winning the title with 28 wins from 34 matches, with the Netherlands ace scoring nine goals and registering ten assists over the season. However, it was his performances during Ajax’s run to the Champions League semi final that earned him all his praise and a 28th ranking in the Ballon d’Or.

In his final season at Ajax, the 6 foot engine starred once again, registering 21 goal contributions in 37 games, which ultimately led to the Red Devils investing £35m in the midfielder that summer.

Van de Beek’s current market value

It’s well known that Van de Beek hasn’t exactly hit the ground running during his time at Old Trafford, with his performances being "underwhelming," as per Carl Anka of The Athletic, and changes off the field stopping him from rediscovering the quality he once showed at Ajax.

Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, United always operated in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with the boss relying on Scott McTominay and Fred in the deeper roles while Bruno Fernandes featured in attacking midfield.

With Van de Beek playing as a number ten at Ajax, he was never going to get a game in the side over the Portuguese star, who’s always available – having missed just one game through illness or injury in his United career to date.

In his first season, Van de Beek started just four Premier League games, and in January of his second season, then manager Ralf Rangnick sent him on loan to Everton, in an attempt to reignite his career.

Over his seven games at the Toffees, Van de Beek scored once and struggled to show his qualities in a relatively average side, with his estimated value being £21m.

December 2019

£43m

April 2020

£37m

May 2021

£26m

June 2022

£21m

March 2023

£14m

December 2023

£8m

Since the arrival of former boss Erik ten Hag, the 26-year-old has only played 11 games for Man United, with a knee injury making him miss 38 matches over the 2022/23 campaign. This caused his value to decrease even further to £11m.

As of today, Van de Beek has only recently joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan with an option to buy for around £9m, despite only being estimated to be worth £4m, according to CIES Football Observatory.

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The Red Devils won’t be able to recoup barely any of the fee they splashed on Van de Beek in 2020, in what has aged to become an absolute howler of a transfer by the club, with a loss of £31m without wages.