Donny van de Beek failed to break into the Manchester United team and he’s now joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan for the rest of the season.
The Netherlands international has admitted his limited involvement at United was ‘tough’, but he is now looking forward to reigniting his career with Eintracht Frankfurt.
Eintracht have signed Van de Beek on loan until the end of the season and there’s a chance they could make the deal permanent. The biggest boost for United is that the Bundesliga outfit are covering the majority of his £125,000-a-week wages.
There’s an option in the loan deal to buy Van de Beek for €11 million, with €3m in add-ons. Now he must focus on impressing the coaches and getting regular starts to put him in contention for an international call-up again.
The 26-year-old was unveiled to German media this week. He said (via Manchester Evening News): “I enjoyed it [the first two training sessions]. It’s a very good team with good players, who are nice people as well. I’ve had some very good chats with the guys.
“Of course, I already knew the club and how they wanted to play was also important for me. I had a good chat with the coach and the way he sees football, that convinced me and I had a good feeling about it.
“Every player has their own personal goals, but I’m here to help the team and play at my highest level. I’m convinced that Frankfurt is a good place for me right now. No.8 or No.10 are my best positions.
“To come on the ball and connect or come into the box and maybe score goals or give assists, that’s my best position. In the past, I played in the No.6 position, but my strength is more as a box-to-box player, or as a No.10.”
Van de Beek joined United from Ajax in September 2020 for a fee worth £35m rising to £40m. The midfielder has only managed to make 28 starts since then and spent six months on loan at Everton, too. Many thought Ten Hag would give him a second chance but the manager has opted to overlook his former Ajax star for other players in the squad.
I think everyone connected with Manchester United would like to see Van de Beek kick on and enjoy his football elsewhere. He wasn’t able to do that at United, although I’m sure he will take his experiences from Old Trafford with him no matter where he ends up.
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