‘Take good care of Donny’, Ajax director tells Manchester United

Donny van der Beek at an Ajax training session. Photo: Femke Kruize via Wikimedia Commons
Donny van der Beek at an Ajax training session. Photo: Femke Kruize via Wikimedia Commons

Donny van de Beek’s long awaited move to Manchester United has now been finalised and Ajax director Edwin van de Sar has written an open letter to fans urging the English club to take good care of the player and to help him achieve his dreams.

Van de Beek has been with Ajax since he was 10 years old and joined the top team when he was 18.

‘The team he was part of showed the world what Ajax is and what Ajax stands for,’ Van der Sar wrote. ‘Like you, we pride ourselves on being one of the best in developing talent … you could say your new star is the embodiment of that pride.’

The 23-year-old will be the 13th Dutchman to have played for United. Others include Johan Cruijff, Jaap Stam and Van der Sar himself, who was with the club from 2005 to 2011, where he helped the team to four league titles.

Van de Beek has signed a five year deal with the Red Devils, with the option to extend it for one year. According to Sky Sports, Van de Beek is moving to Old Trafford for a fee of €39m (£34.6m) – plus another €5m (£4.4m) in add-ons.

Like Joel Veltman, who has moved to Brighton, the midfielder will wear shirt number 34 in honour of former team mate Abdelhak Nouri.

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