On the southern outskirts of Girona stands the club’s new training ground — modest in size for now, but with big plans to grow.
This is where an expanded academy will be located, including a residential site for young prospects. For a club that was playing on Spain’s fourth tier back in 2006-07, it is another sign of progress — building further on last season’s Champions League qualification.
Girona’s first team has already moved in, and so this is also where The Athletic met with Donny van de Beek this week.
After some careful early steps this season, the Dutchman started all three of Girona matches before the international break and is gradually becoming an important part of Michel’s side. His story right now is all about progress, too.
This summer, he left the Premier League for La Liga, ending a four-year stay at Manchester United. Girona paid United an initial fee of just €500,000 (£417k; $542k at current rates) for the 27-year-old (who cost them £35million in 2020), although bonuses could increase this to €9.1million.
Van de Beek arrived for our interview with a big smile on his face — as you might expect for a player who just a few weeks ago scored his first goal in more than two years.
The Dutchman spoke about the start of his new life in Girona, the plan to once again find his best after a difficult last few seasons, his struggles at United, as well as the nature of the club’s continuing difficulties under Erik ten Hag — although as we will see, that was something of a delicate subject.
The conversation below has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
The Athletic: How’s the start of your new life in Girona been?
Donny van de Beek: Very good. It’s a very nice club with good people, nice team-mates. We have a lot of new players, so we are still building up a thing. But we can see that we’re growing. I spoke with Daley (Blind) and with people from the club such as (sporting director) Quique Carcel and (chairman) Pere Guardiola before coming here. They told me about the project, how they want to work and play, and I was convinced quite early in the transfer window. In fact, we spoke already last January to join the club. In the end it didn’t happen, but I have been following them a lot since then.
The Athletic: Girona feels like a very different club from the others of your career — compared to huge football institutions such as Ajax (2015-20) or Manchester United (2020-24).
Van de Beek: Absolutely. Here, everyone is really close, they all know each other, this is quite different from what I’ve seen in the past. It’s nice to see how they all try to help and make you feel as if you were at home. They have the ambition to improve. I think all this helps me, too. The football part always has to be right, but this was also a very important element given the moment of my career. I have had some difficult times in recent years.
The Athletic: The last four years you spent as a Manchester United player, where things did not seem to click from the very start. In your first season (2020-21), you played 19 league games but only four as a starter, despite arriving for £35million. Did it feel like something wasn’t adding up even back then?
Van de Beek: I don’t know. I think the start was quite good. When I played, I think in the start of the season, I did well, and then for different reasons… I don’t know exactly but I didn’t play.
Former United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Van de Beek, pictured in September 2020 (Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
It’s difficult to get to the heart of the painful spot, but that’s what it is. I think that this can happen. In some places it’s clicking but sometimes in other situations it’s not. I think it’s for different reasons. But it’s also football.
The Athletic: Things did not get much better in the second season (2021-22), because in the first half you featured in eight league games, none as a starter. Then you left on loan to Everton. Was it frustrating?
Van de Beek: Yes. It was tough. Normally in the second season everything gets better for a lot of players. But I think it was also a difficult situation. I think the coach left (Ole Gunnar Solskjaer), and a new coach came in (Ralf Rangnick) and then it’s always chaotic. You know it’s not in a stable situation. So then… I went to Everton because of that, yes.
The Athletic: In May 2022, Erik ten Hag, with whom you worked at Ajax, arrived. You might have expected a new life at the club in your third year?
Van de Beek: Yes, of course. I think it was quite unlucky because I played some more games, especially closer to the winter, and then I got injured (in January 2023, a knee injury ruled him out for the rest of the season). That was not easy. It was very bad timing.
If you start to play a little bit more, then you can get the rhythm of everything. But that injury arrived, you need to restart again, you need to come up. There are new players coming in, and you start from the backseat again. It’s difficult. I would say this was a key moment for me at Manchester United. In this period normally when you play, you get stronger and better. But I got this injury. That was tough.
Van de Beek and Ten Hag with Ajax in December 2019 (Laurens Lindhout/Soccrates/Getty Images)
The Athletic: Did you find it difficult to adjust to the physicality of the Premier League?
Van de Beek: Well, I think that for every player, if you come from outside England, you always need to adapt. Maybe not every player, but a lot of players do because it’s so, so different. There is so much high intensity, top teams and top players. And it’s a beautiful league to play in, of course.
The Athletic: You’ve mentioned a lot of struggles and setbacks at Manchester United. Did it have a mental impact?
Van de Beek: Of course. If you don’t play for that long, then mentally it’s not easy. So then in January (2024) I decided to go to Eintracht Frankfurt (on loan), but it was not really working there either. It’s not easy to come halfway into the season when you have no competitive rhythm because you did not play many games, and then you need to perform straight in. You have to stand in there, you also come as a loan player… and that makes it hard as well to break into the team.
The Athletic: Looking back on those four years after joining Manchester United, do you have any regrets?
Van de Beek: Well, I don’t know. I think, as I said, that the key moment was when I was playing some games and then I got a bad, bad injury. That was the moment for me to take it, but then I had this injury… and that was a game changer.
The Athletic: Did your situation reach a point, at any stage, where you felt you needed to ask for help or support at United?
Van de Beek: I think United did it to be honest. As a player, you have some people there who can help with that. And I had a good relationship with a lot of people there, so I could always talk with them and they would try to help you. But in the end, you need to do it yourself as a player. What I say now is that I think I am in a new area, a new fresh chapter. I am in a good place, I think, in a club who plays very good football, which I think is important for me at this stage.
Van de Beek preparing to come on in the Carabao Cup in September 2023 (Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
The Athletic: Seasons go by, though, and instability at Manchester United still remains.
Van de Beek: I think it’s difficult. I was there, so I know it’s not easy for the players. They are still very good players when you see them all. It’s not easy to see them in this situation. I know they can do it, but it is not easy with everyone, and for the players… I hope they can change this situation.
The Athletic: What makes it especially difficult to perform at United? Is it the pressure?
Van de Beek: Not really, I think pressure is everywhere. It’s not only United. In every big club, when I played in Ajax there was also pressure. That’s not a problem for the players, but yeah… I cannot tell you, I don’t know. It is weird. Like I said, they can do it. I am sure.
The Athletic: What differences were there in the experience you had with Ten Hag at Ajax and the one you had at Manchester United?
Van de Beek: I don’t know… I think it’s difficult. Should we move on to the next subject?
Van de Beek has made seven appearances for Girona (Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images)
The Athletic: Earlier this season, you spoke in a press conference before Girona’s Champions League match against Feyenoord. Did you mention something about having considered retirement?
Van de Beek: Oh, not at all! I know what you mean, that was a bad translation. I will play football until my legs tell me I can’t anymore! That question you refer to was coming from someone from the Netherlands. They asked if I ever felt like I was done with football, mentioning all the setbacks in recent years and if I felt tired at some point. But no, it did not get to the point of retiring.
The Athletic: This season you made a slightly slower start — you did not start a La Liga match until the end of September (against Celta Vigo). Was that planned?
Van de Beek: Yes, absolutely. The coach, me and the club spoke about this in pre-season. We all know that I needed some time to get stronger. It is now going all up. I started to play more in recent weeks, and now from there I can build on. We had a good plan and it worked.
The Athletic: In the Champions League against Feyenoord (a 3-2 home defeat on October 2) you scored your first goal in more than two years. That must have been emotional.
Van de Beek: It was so good. It gives you confidence as a player to live these kinds of moments. You feel again the adrenaline in your body and feel that if you were tired before, now you are not any more.
Girona finished third in La Liga last season (Manaure Quintero/AFP via Getty Images)
I can’t remember when I played so many games in such a short time. I think it’s many years ago that I played three games in such a small period. You can train very hard and whatever you want, but in the end it’s in the games where you find the sensations to get stronger and better. There was also an amazing atmosphere in the stadium. Montilivi might not be the biggest stadium in the Champions League, but it’s very nice to play there. The fans are very on it, especially with the Champions League.
The Athletic: Did you ever get to the point of thinking you would maybe not have that feeling again?
Van de Beek: It’s difficult and as I said it was tough mentally. Now I feel I am more fresh in my head and that I can start to feel good. You play more games, realise that you progress physically, and when you are surrounded with nice and positive people everything gets better. People in Girona are very enthusiastic, they want to perform and play well with an idea. It’s nice to be a part of that.
The Athletic: How do you see yourself in five years’ time?
Van de Beek: It’s difficult to say. First of all, hopefully doing very well here. I think it’s very important that I can be important for the club and play well. Now the most important thing is that I feel happy. Then, whatever comes next we will see what happens. I want to be the best version of myself. That’s my goal.
(Top photo: Javier Borrego/Europa Press via Getty Images)
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