Van de Beek: Thanks for all your messages

The midfielder returned to the side with a goal against Lyon in Edinburgh, in what was his first appearance since 3 January.

Donny had knee surgery following a nasty injury he sustained in the clash with Bournemouth at the turn of the year, and sees Tour 2023 as the perfect opportunity to get some game time under his belt...

So, Donny, good to see you again. How good did it feel to score against Lyon in your first game back?
“Oh, yeah. First of all, of course, I was happy to make my first minutes after a while. I scored a goal as well, which is nice, but the most important thing was getting the minutes in the legs.”

Yeah, because you've obviously been out for six months. So how tough has that journey been coming back? We could kind of see it in your celebration. Was that just a bit of relief at being back?
“Yeah, of course. I mean, it's hard work. It was really hard work to come back. People who have experience with this kind of injury [will know] it's tough work. But yeah, we did it and now [I need to] keep pushing and being fitter and yeah, just getting stronger every day.”

Is it the first bad injury like that you've had in your career and do you have to learn how to come back from it?
“Yeah, I’ve never been that long out in my career, so yeah, it was a bit different. And yeah, mentally as well, [it was] a really difficult period. But I'm happy now that I'm back on the pitch.”

We saw a few videos of you working in the gym in the past few months. Was that just a little snapshot of how hard you've had to work?
“Yeah, especially when you see the lads going outside and you have to stay in the gym for another two hours. That's not an easy one. But yeah, you know that there will be a time that you see them again on the pitch and at that stage you think about that.”

Just going back to the goal against Lyon, it might have only been a friendly but it was a great finish. Where does it rank amongst the goals you've scored during your career?
“I think it was a decent goal. I don't know, I think I scored a few better ones, but it was a nice finish and yeah, a great assist as well from Dan [Gore]. So yeah, it was a nice moment here.”

And now we're here in the United States on Tour 2023, so you're looking forward to just getting back and getting into that rhythm of playing again?
“Yeah, especially all the lads are now back as well. It's nice to be on the pitch and to be here in America as well. We train hard every day. We have a few games coming up against good teams. I'm looking forward to it.”

And does this kind of trip help focus the mind because you've got a lot of games coming and you know you're away from home, you’re training every day. Does it help with that preparation?
“Yes, of course. I mean, we train hard every day and we just have to be fit and focus on ourselves.”

It's been announced that we've signed Andre Onana, who you'll know from Ajax. What can you tell us about him as a player and as a person?
“Yeah, he’s a nice person as well. I’ve known him for a long time and he’s a great goalkeeper. So I think it's a positive day for everyone at the club.”

Is it a signing that you think the fans should be excited about?
“Yeah. He’s a quality goalkeeper. I said it before already, he's a top-class goalie and yeah, that's how he is.”

And there are a lot of players in this squad that he'll know: yourself, Antony, Lisandro. Do you think that will help him settle in quickly?
“Yeah, I think so. Just like I've seen a lot of other new players coming to the group and they settle quite easily. And so I think that will happen with Andre as well. So that will be alright.”

And for your injury, you've had a lot of messages of support from United fans. So is there anything you'd like to say back to them?
“Yeah, just thank you. I’ve got a massive amount of messages. And yeah, I just want to say thank you for the help they send to me. It means a lot to me and I just want to say thank you.”