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Donny van de Beek will make Man United history the moment he steps on Old Trafford pitch

Football

By Mirror | Sep 06, 2020

Ajax's Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek (L) vies with Tottenham's Kenyan midfielder Victor Wanyama during the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg football match between Ajax Amsterdam and Tottenham Hotspur at the the Johan Cruyff Arena, in Amsterdam, on May 8, 2019. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP)

Donny van de Beek will become the 13th Dutchman to play for Manchester United when he makes his debut for the Red Devils.

This means the Netherlands will go one clear of France in the all-time rankings of players from overseas nations to represent United.

Van de Beek, 23, moved to Old Trafford from Ajax on a five-year contract earlier this week for an initial fee of £35million which could rise to £40million.

He is the latest in a star-studded list of Dutch players to move to United and joins the likes of club legends Jaap Stam, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Edwin van der Sar.

The first Netherlands native to play for the North-West giants was Arnold Muhren, who joined from Ipswich Town in 1982.

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Then came Jordi Cruyff and Raimond van der Gouw some 14 years later before world-record defensive signing Stam helped steer United to a historic treble in 1999.

Netherlands legends Van Nistelrooy and Van der Sar then etched their names into United's history books with their performances in the hugely successful teams of the 2000s.

Ajax's Donny van de Beek celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Champions League semifinal first leg soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)]

Since then, Robin van Persie arrived from Arsenal and Alexander Buttner also featured briefly before the arrival of Louis van Gaal in the Old Trafford hot seat led to a flurry of Dutch arrivals.

Van Gaal bought compatriots Daley Blind and Memphis Depay during his two-year tenure, while also handing Timothy Fosu-Mensah his debut.

Finally, current boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gave 20-year-old forward Tahith Chong his maiden appearance as he became the 12th Dutchman to represent United.

And as Van de Beek makes his debut, the Netherlands will pull clear of France in the list of overseas nations (non-UK and Ireland) to represent United.

Elsewhere in the rankings, Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Belgium, Portugal and Spain are tied in third with six players to have played for the Red Devils.

And Denmark, Norway and Sweden are joint fourth with five players apiece.