Manchester United announced the signing of Donny van de Beek from Ajax earlier this week as the Dutchman became the Red’s first major signing of the summer window in a £40million deal.
The new Manchester United man made his senior team debut in 2015 and since then has risen through the ranks to become one of the most technically gifted midfielders in Europe.
With a potential move to Real Madrid collapsing due to the Coronavirus this year, Manchester United came calling and the 23-year-old jumped at the chance to move to another European giant.
The new Manchester United man has now revealed that he opted for a move to Old Trafford this summer to realize the dream his coach and mentor, Harm Grevink, shared with him.
Harm Grevink, 73, was the coach who l discovered the midfield talent at Veensche Boys and since then has been his mentor.
However, Van de Beek revealed that Grevink has been diagnosed with cancer and has been told he does not have long to live, so he knew he has to secure his big move.
Speaking to the Mirror, he said: “Harm was the man who spotted my talent as a kid. He told me I had the talent to become a professional player and he took me to Ajax.
“Whenever I was away from the club, we were training skills and all sorts. He was like a private coach.
“Sadly now he is dying – but he had one dream for me. He wanted to live to see my transfer to a big club, the next big stage in my career.
“We thought it was going to be Real Madrid. That did not work out, for various different reasons.
“Now I have joined an absolutely fantastic club in the biggest competition in the world.
“The fact that Harm knows that I am now a Manchester United player, among all those other great players at Old Trafford, fills me with joy. Because Harm is a wonderful man.” Respect, Donny. The Dutchman has all the attributes to succeed in Manchester and make his mentor proud.
The 23-year-old scored 41 goals while setting up 40 assists for his teammates in 157 appearances during his time at Ajax.
