Everton do not have the option to make Donny van de Beek's loan move permanent; the Toffees will cover the midfielder's wages during his time at Goodison Park; Crystal Palace and Valencia also held talks about signing Van de Beek
Monday 31 January 2022 23:24, UK
Everton have signed Donny van de Beek on loan from Manchester United for the rest of the season.
The Netherlands international's wages will be paid in full by the Toffees, who do not have an option to make his move permanent.
Crystal Palace and Valencia were also in talks to sign Van de Beek during the January transfer window, but he opted for a switch to Goodison Park.
Van de Beek declared himself fit and available for next Tuesday's Premier League visit to Newcastle United, as he is cup-tied for Saturday's match against with Brentford.
Van de Beek says the appointment of Frank Lampard was the driving force behind his move.
"I had a really positive meeting with the new coach," he said. "We have the same ideas about football and he had a lot of influence on my decision.
"I played against him when I was at Ajax, and he was at Chelsea [as manager], so he knows me as a player. He thinks I have qualities that can help the team. I can learn a lot from him because he was a little bit in the same position - a midfield player who scored a lot of goals.
"He can help me a lot, so I think I'm in a good spot. I want to improve with Everton. There are always things that can be better and I work hard every day to do that."
He added: "I want to show my qualities, my strengths, to the people in England - but especially the fans from Everton."
Palace began negotiations with United after Dennis Bergkamp - the father of Van de Beek's partner - triggered talks.
Valencia were also in discussions with United over the 24-year-old, but there were doubts about whether the Spanish side could cover his salary.
Van de Beek struggled to break into the first team at Old Trafford since a £39m move from Ajax in the summer of 2020.
He was a largely peripheral figure under both current interim manager Ralf Rangnick and former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer despite a goalscoring debut for the club.
It is thought Van de Beek felt let down by Solskjaer after he had given him assurances over playing time.
But Van de Beek also struggled to make an impact under Rangnick, having been restricted to just 380 minutes of action this season without starting a Premier League match.
He has just two goals and two assists to his name in 50 United appearances.
Van de Beek's future will be re-assessed after the season ends, when United will have a new manager in place.
He had been the talisman of Ajax's exciting young team under Erik ten Hag, which reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019, scoring six goals in the competition and 28 more in over 100 appearances in the Eredivisie.
The midfielder has three-and-a-half years to run on his contract at Old Trafford, although United hold an option to extend the deal by a further year.
Donny van de Beek's arrival at Old Trafford caused no shortage of excitement. Darren Fletcher described him as a "bargain" at £39m. Ole Gunnar Solskajer talked up his "fantastic" quality. A giddy Rio Ferdinand addressed him as "Sir Donny" on Twitter.
The 24-year-old had attracted interest from a host of top European clubs while at Ajax, his outstanding performances during their run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2019 marking him out as one of the most exciting young midfielders around.
But his move to Manchester United has been a story of frustration and stalled progress. Van de Beek made only four Premier League starts in his first season. This time around, the Netherlands midfielder is yet to make one.
Van de Beek's biggest obstacle at Manchester United has been the presence of Bruno Fernandes.
Van de Beek played his best football for Ajax in the No 10 position, scoring and creating goals at a formidable rate, but by the time he arrived at Old Trafford in September 2020, Fernandes was firmly established as United's most important player in the position.
The Portugal international had made a transformative impact following his arrival from Sporting Lisbon eight months earlier, scoring eight goals and providing seven assists in his first 14 Premier League appearances to help United secure a third-placed finish.
He has continued in the same vein ever since.
Fernandes has scored more goals (25) and contributed more assists (17) in the Premier League than any other Manchester United player since the start of last season. He has also played the most minutes (4,879).
Van de Beek, by contrast, has played just 582 minutes in the same time frame. A player who enjoyed major prominence at Ajax has had to settle for a peripheral role throughout his time at United.
There have been occasional flashes of his quality - most recently with his well-taken goal against Watford in November - but his attacking output has not come close to matching Fernandes' on the rare occasions he has been thrown into the side.
For many Manchester United supporters, there is frustration more effort has not been made to accommodate Van de Beek elsewhere in the team, but that always looked challenging.
There was no obvious role for him in Solskjaer's 4-2-3-1 formation - he is too offensively-minded to play in the midfield two, and not quick or powerful enough to occupy one of the wide positions - and interim manager Ralf Rangnick has now reverted to the same system having unsuccessfully trialled a 4-2-2-2 set-up following his appointment.
Solskjaer talked about Van de Beek and Fernandes complementing each other's qualities following the former's arrival at the club back in 2020 but 18 months on neither he nor Rangnick has found room for them both in the same team.
Tellingly, they have only started six games together in all competitions since the start of last season.
The clock is ticking. Who will be on the move before the transfer window closes at 11pm on Monday January 31?
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