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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Daniel Murphy

Donny van de Beek reacts to former boss Erik ten Hag's appointment at Manchester United

Donny van de Beek has seemingly given his seal of approval on Erik ten Hag being appointed as the new Manchester United manager as he liked an Instagram post confirming the appointment.

Five months on from giving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer his marching orders in November, United have finally confirmed that Ajax boss Ten Hag will take over the reins from interim manager Ralf Rangnick at the end of the season. The 52-year-old has penned a three-year deal at Old Trafford, with the option of a further 12 months, and United have paid £1.7million to release him from his contract in Amsterdam.

The news of United hiring a manager renowned for his exciting style of football, success in the Champions League and promoting young players into the team will no doubt have gone down well within the squad — and it could be of particular benefit to Van de Beek. The midfielder enjoyed great success under Ten Hag's stewardship at Ajax as he was an integral part of the team that won his first Eredivisie title and reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.

ALSO READ: Why Manchester United chose Erik ten Hag as their next manager

It was Van de Beek's performances that season that saw his stock rise as one of the game's most exciting young talents and eventually earn a move to Manchester. He arrived at United amid great fanfare with the sense the club had pulled off a coup signing him for £35million.

However, despite scoring on his debut, Van de Beek was never really given a proper chance by Solskjaer or Rangnick and when he did get rare minutes on the pitch, he struggled to take his opportunity. As a result, the Dutchman departed on loan to Everton in January where his career has continued to falter.

Van de Beek has managed just six appearances at Goodison Park as the Toffees have become embroiled in a relegation battle. He has now recovered from a thigh injury that kept him out of four matches, but was an unused substitute in Wednesday's draw with Leicester.

The prospect of Ten Hag being hired by United has led fans to hope that Van de Beek could potentially revive his career at Old Trafford and recapture the form that the club signed him off the back of. It's of little surprise that Van de Beek is excited about the possibility of meeting up with his old boss again, and he has seemingly given his verdict on the appointment by liking a post on Ajax's official Instagram page which confirms he will be joining United.

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