Man Utd confirm first January transfer exit as Erik ten Hag trims his squad

Donny van de Beek has completed his loan move to Eintracht Frankfurt - all but signalling the end of his Manchester United career.

The Netherlands international, 26, has left United after a torrid three-and-a-half-year spell at Old Trafford. He arrived from Ajax in £40million deal in September 2020 but has made just four Premier League starts, the last of which coming in May 2021.

Frankfurt have the option to make Van de Beek's move, which was confirmed on New Year's Day, permanent at the end of the season. "Everyone at Manchester United wishes Donny all the best in Frankfurt for the rest of the season!" read United's statement.

This is Van de Beek's second loan spell away from Old Trafford after his seven-game spell at Everton in 2022. The midfielder has played only 21 minutes of first-team football this season and was glued to Erik ten Hag's bench for United's previous eight league games.

"Donny van de Beek fits our game idea perfectly and is an important piece of the puzzle for our team," said Frankfurt's sporting director Markus Krosche. "He brings a wealth of international experience that our young players will benefit from. Donny exudes a goal-scoring threat and, above all, should put our attackers in promising positions."

Van de Beek will wear the No.25 shirt at Frankfurt. Dino Toppmoller's side are sixth in the Bundesliga - 18 points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen - and have reached the knockout stages of the Europa Conference League, where they will play Union Saint-Gilloise.

Rumours of Van de Beek's move to Frankfurt emerged several weeks ago. In total, Van de Beek has made 62 appearances for United, scoring twice. He will now look to break back into the Netherlands squad ahead of Euro 2024, which takes place in