Man Utd reserve Van de Beek ruled out of Dutch Euros squad
Man Utd midfielder Donny van de Beek has been ruled out of the Euros with an injury, the Netherlands have confirmed.
The 24-year-old had been called up to Frank de Boer’s squad for the European Championship, where Holland will face Austria, North Macedonia and Ukraine in the group stage.
But the Netherlands released a statement on Tuesday revealing that Van de Beek had been “struggling with an injury” and has now been forced to pull out of the squad.
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A statement from the Dutch FA read: “Donny van de Beek has to let the European championship pass by. The Manchester United midfielder is struggling with an injury.
“As a result, the 19-time international, who last played minutes in Orange in March during Gibraltar – Netherlands (0-7), is not available in time for the European Championship.
“National coach Frank de Boer does not call for a replacement for Van de Beek.
“The Netherlands will play their first group match against Ukraine on Sunday, June 13. On Thursday, June 17, Austria will be the opponent, while the group stage will conclude with a meeting with North Macedonia on Monday, June 21. All duels take place in the Johan Cruijff ArenA in Amsterdam.”
The latest news is another blow for Van de Beek, who has been suffering with issues at club level following his move to Man Utd from Ajax last summer.
The Old Trafford giants swooped to sign the highly-rated 23-year-old from the Dutch club for an initial 39 million euros (£34.1m), but things have not gone as smoothly as the Holland international had expected.
While Van de Beek has made 36 appearances in all competitions, the majority have come from the bench and the midfielder has only made four Premier League starts.
His move to Man Utd has been criticised by a number of former Dutch players and pundits with the midfielder now reportedly scheduling a meeting with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to discuss his role in the team next season.
Speaking back in January, Solskjaer insisted that he rates Van de Beek highly and sees him playing a big role at Man Utd.
“I’ve answered this question so many times,” Solskjaer said. “There’s so many examples of players needing a little bit of time, quality players.
“We have many examples ourselves and there are other clubs with examples. Sometimes it takes time.
“You don’t expect people who care for him to be quiet at times, especially when they want the best for them.
“Donny is going to play tomorrow. That’s another chance for him and, yes, I’ve spoken to him and reiterated and made him aware of how much we rate him.”