Edwin Van Der Sar Aims Subtle Dig at Manchester United for Letting Go of Van De Beek

Edwin Van Der Sar Aims Subtle Dig at Manchester United for Letting Go of Van De Beek

Rene Otinga
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:55 PM
  • Edwin Van der Sar played a key role in Donny Van de Beek’s move to Manchester United back in 2020
  • But Van de Beek has endured a torrid spell as a Red Devil, and was handed some reprieve with a loan move to Everton on deadline day
  • Van der Sar reacted to his countryman’s loan move, albeit using words that were perceived to be a dig at United for failing to utilize the 24-year old

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar seemed to aim a subtle dig at his former club for releasing Donny Van de Beek on loan to Everton.

As reported by Sportsbrief.com, Van de Beek was among the huge deadline day movers in January 2022, and he is set to link up with Frank Lampard, who was recently confirmed as Toffees boss.

Edwin Van Der Sar
Edwin Van Der Sar was the one who pushed for Van de Beek to join Manchester United in 2020. Photo by ANP Sport.
Source: Getty Images

Van de Beek has had a nightmare spell at Manchester United since making his arrival at Old Trafford in 2020 as a promising prospect from Ajax.

It was Van der Sar, who engineered his fellow Dutchman’s move to Manchester United and at the time, there was a lot of optimism surrounding the transfer.

Taking to social media to comment on Van de Beek’s Everton transfer, Van der sar, who is the current CEO of Ajax, wrote on Twitter:

"Better luck with this club in the North West of England Donny!"

According to reports from Sportbible, United have not given up on the 24-year old, hence the decision to have him move to Everton on loan.

Van de Beek could yet be an integral part of the team if the next Manchester United manager decides to properly utilize him from next season.

Van der Sar’s letter to United in 2020

At the time Van de Beek was signing for United, Van der Sar was among the engineers of the transfer.

The 51-year old, who won four Premier League titles with Manchester United, was very excited about Van de Beek’s move to Old Trafford at the time, and he wrote a heartfelt letter to the club on social media and it instantly went viral.

Dear Manchester United fans," he wrote at the time. "I hope you're doing well.
"It seems our paths have crossed again. One of ours is joining you this season. And like so many players before him, he's been with us since he was just a little boy.

Van de Beek’s nightmare at United

But, things did not go as expected for the talented midfielder, who consistently found himself on the bench under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

In total, he has started just four Premier League games in his 18 months at Manchester United, and things have not improved under new boss Ralf Rangnick.

Despite impressing in training and consistently being match fit, both Rangnick and Solskjaer seemed to prefer the duo of Scott McTominay and Fred at the heart of the team’s midfield.

Herrera declines Tottenham move

Elsewhere, former Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera, now at PSG, reportedly declined a move to Tottenham Hotspur out of loyalty for his former club.

Spurs, who were desperate to bolster their squad before the window shut are said to have shown interest in the Paris Saint-Germain star.

The possibility of such a deal was however quickly extinguished by the ex-Red Devils star, who is said to have maintained that he was happy with his current situation at Parc des Princes.

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Rene Otinga
Rene Otinga is a sports journalist with over eight years of working experience in digital media. Rene's experience includes working as a Copywriter at X News Kenya and TUKO.co.ke.
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