Manchester United has revealed its 25-man squad for the forthcoming Champions League group stage fixtures, with one conspicuous exclusion being Donny van de Beek, a £40 million acquisition who has failed to live up to expectations.
The competition will begin later this month, with Manchester United competing among football powerhouses such as Bayern Munich, Copenhagen, and Galatasaray.
Rasmus Hojlund, Andre Onana, Sergio Reguilon, Sofyan Amrabat, and Altay Bayindir, among the summer additions, have all established their places in the squad with the nucleus of the first-team players.
Mason Mount has been added to the association-trained list, with Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Jadon Sancho, despite the uncertainty surrounding Sancho’s future.
Jonny Evans, who returned to the club as a reserve center-back after an eight-year hiatus, is classified as club-trained.
However, there is no room in the team for Donny van de Beek. The 26-year-old Dutchman, who joined United from Ajax in 2020, has yet to play a game this season, and his time at Old Trafford appears to be coming to an end.
According to reports, a potential deal to Lorient fell through due to difficulties with Van de Beek’s attitude, as he reportedly refused to speak with the club earlier in the transfer window.
Nonetheless, Manchester United is aggressively seeking to unload him, and Galatasaray has expressed interest in signing him, with negotiations now underway.
Galatasaray has a longer transfer window, which runs through September 15, giving them more time to complete the move than England.
Van de Beek’s time at Manchester United has been hampered by injuries, an unproductive loan spell at Everton, and a lack of noteworthy performances under several managers, notably Erik ten Hag, with whom he had worked at Ajax.
Manchester United will also submit a B List of players before of each Champions League match, which will include players such as Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.
