Van de Beek wants to replicate Van der Sar and Van Persie at Man Utd

Manchester United new boy Donny van de Beek wants to follow in the footsteps of Old Trafford legends Edwin van der Sar and Robin van Persie.

Van de Beek, 23, sealed his £40million move to United from Ajax – and insisted that the transfer has healed the heartbreak of seeing a dream move to Real Madrid collapse earlier this summer.

The Holland international also outlined the role that United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer played in his decision.

But Van de Beek declared that his task now is to make Reds’ fans love him like Van der Sar and Van Persie – and that he can only do that by helping United return to the very top.

Van de Beek told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf: “I hope to follow in the footsteps of the two Dutchmen they still talk about at United – Van der Sar and Van Persie.

“My goal after joining this beautiful young team is to help take the club back to where it belongs and to win trophies.

“You don’t want to know how relieved I am that the deal is done. We reached an agreement on Saturday but it was not until today that the paperwork was all done.

“As you know, I had a deal with Real Madrid and both clubs also had a deal. But for one reason or another that deal was never confirmed on paper.

“Players who were supposed to leave decided to stay and Madrid pulled out.

Will Van de Beek replicate his Dutch predecessors? Have your say below.

“Of course, I was disappointed and I wondered whether such an opportunity to join a massive club would happen again in my career.

“My my God. Manchester United is an absolute dream. They are an absolutely fantastic club in the strongest competition in the world.

“I did not have to think for longer than one second when the opportunity was made to me.”

Van de Beek spoke to Ajax chief executive Van der Sar and former United defender Daley Blind when United made their approach.

But it was a conversation with Solskjaer that convinced him he was making the right move.

He added: “Last week, I had a really enjoyable talk with the manager. It was not only enjoyable, it was a very good football conversation.

“He told me he had been interested in me for a long time. He was the manager of Molde when we played in a European game at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

“I had a huge cut on my head and had to play with a huge bandage wrapped around the injury – but I scored. Ole said to me that he knows what my big strength is and that I have to use it at United – to get into the box.”

Van de Beek added: “I also spoke to Edwin and Daley and they were ecstatic.

“They told me that not only are United a huge club but they are a warm club. And that is what I have experienced so far.”

Van de Beek was a cult hero in Amsterdam – and he has vowed to do what it takes to make United fans feel the same.

He said: “It doesn’t sound so attractive when you have to start from scratch, but that is the challenge for me. Cruyff always said that every disadvantage has an advantage.

“When you start at the bottom of the ladder, you can only climb up, not down. It is up to me to show the dressing room that I can climb to the top.”

Van de Beek, who was allowed to break off from training with Holland to seal a five-year deal worth in excess of £100,000-a-week, was also given a friendly word of warning by Liverpool pair Virgil van Dijk and Gini Wijnaldum.

He said: “Both Gini and Virgil made it clear to me that I am facing something far more physical than I am used to in the Eredivisie.

“And they told me that I won’t be able to handle it just by going into the gym more. I know that it is going to be a big challenge for me on the pitch.”