Beek story’s a tale of triumph
JOY AND TEARS AT DREAM MOVE
DONNY VAN DE BEEK has revealed the heartbreak behind his £40million move to Manchester United.
Van De Beek shed tears of both sadness and joy when he sealed his arrival at Old Trafford during the week – because it realised the dream he shared with the tragic coach who first discovered him.
Harm Grevink, 73, has been told he hasn’t got long to live after being diagnosed with cancer.
And the man who has been Van De Beek’s mentor since watching him play as a schoolboy for Veensche Boys told the midfielder, 23, that his final wish was to see him leave Ajax to join one of Europe’s biggest clubs. That was why Van De Beek was so desperate to sign for United after seeing a proposed move to Real Madrid collapse due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said: “Harm was the man who spotted my talent as a kid.
“He told me I had the talent to become a professional player and he took me to Ajax.
“Whenever I was away from the club, we were training skills and all sorts. He was like a private coach. Sadly now he is dying – but he had only one dream.
“He wanted to live to see my transfer to a big club, the next big stage in my career.
“We thought that it was going to be Real Madrid but that did not work out for different reasons.
“Now I have joined an absolutely fantastic club in the biggest club competition in the world.
“The fact that Harm knows that I am now a Manchester United player, among all those other great players at Old Trafford, fills me with joy because Harm is a really wonderful man.”
While Grevink has been suffering from ill
health, the Holland international has been leaning on his girlfriend’s father for support – who just happens to be Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp.
Estelle Bergkamp will be moving to Manchester with Van De Beek and speaks perfect English thanks to a childhood spent in North London.
Van De Beek said: “I have the best possible adviser when it comes to football issues.
“I know Dennis Bergkamp did not play for the same club as I do now but I also know that he’s a legend in England.
“He knows everything about all the clubs, the teams and life as a player in the Premier League.
“Dennis has told me how much he enjoyed all his years in English football. But he has also given me a warning that it is a massive league which is really tough.
“There are big demands – and he says it is important that I am well prepared for this.”
And Van De Beek knows the change will be quick. He added: “I am moving out of my parents’ house in a country village to a big city in a different country.
“That is some step for us. My dad, Andre, has a chicken farm in the middle of the country.
“So I am entering an entirely different world in Manchester. But there is nobody better than Estelle to have by my side.
“My English is really nothing special but Estelle’s English accent is absolutely beautiful.”