Donny van de Beek would have been extremely pleased with last week’s news that Erik ten Hag was to take over at Manchester United this summer. The midfielder’s future had looked uncertain after failing to break into the United first-team under both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
He left United on loan in January as he aimed to secure more regular minutes and get himself back into national team contention ahead of the World Cup later the year.
With Ten Hag at the helm, Van de Beek may be confident that he can return to United in the summer and establish himself as a pivotal player for the Dutch coach, just like he was at Ajax prior to his transfer in 2019. However, there’s no guarantee that’s going to be the case.
Van de Beek’s Everton move was meant to give him a new lease of life, but instead like much of his career in England so far, it’s been a disaster.
The struggling Toffees have been void of quality ball-players in their midfield, which is why Frank Lampard was keen to get Van de Beek in, signing him on deadline day and just 24 hours after his own arrival at the club.
However, so far the Dutchman has been unable to keep fit, suffering illness and then different groin and hamstring injuries. Everton boss Frank Lampard confirmed he won't be available this weekend, and there's been no time frame put on when he's set to return.
Although injuries are part and parcel of football, the way Van de Beek has seemingly been breaking down will be a concern for United officials, especially given the same comes on top of him not really having accumulated a consistent run of football matches in nearly two years.
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Furthermore, Van de Beek has rarely impressed during the few appearances that he has made. He’s so far made six appearances for Everton, but completed a full 90 minutes only three times. Worse yet, in only one of those six matches did Everton win, losing the other five.
Obviously, in a team game such as football, it’s unjust to hold one player responsible for a negative result, especially at a team like Everton who have struggled for much of the campaign so far.
Yet his lack of impact or influence on the team will be a concern and could hint that the potential he showed at Ajax is starting to wane.
The move to Goodison Park was about him trying to show United officials what he’s still capable of, but that remains unclear and it’s probably fair to say that the club won’t be too eager to have him return. His United future still remains uncertain.
