With one of Manchester United’s many misfits struggling out on loan – and with there being a very realistic possibility that the option-to-buy clause in his contract goes un-triggered – the good news is that the £34 million forgotten man retains the belief of his manager.
For now, anyway. The midfielder has started only four of 10 games since leaving Old Trafford on a short-term basis in the January transfer window. He hasn’t scored a goal, hasn’t provided an assist and, according to one pundit, is playing ‘even worse’ than he was at Manchester United.
But Eintracht Frankfurt are not giving up on Donny van de Beek just yet. Even if head coach Dino Toppmoller admits that, as things stand, there at least two midfielders ahead of the ill-fated Dutchman in Die Adler’s pecking order.
Manchester United may struggle to sell Donny van de Beek
“We had the opportunity to borrow Donny for six months. He delivered sensational performances at Ajax,” Toppmoller, a former assistant coach to Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern Munich, tells Sport BILD.
“There is hope that he can build on the old times here. We couldn’t and didn’t want to miss this opportunity.”
Those ‘sensational performances at Ajax’, however, were a long time ago. It is five years now since Van de Beek put Ajax on the verge of the Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur. His last goal, meanwhile, came back in May 2022, during his short-lived spell at Everton.
With only seven months of the season remaining, and with Toppmoller admitting recently that Van de Beek is struggling to play even 70 minutes let alone 90 after so long without regular first-team football, it is difficult to imagine that Frankfurt will be rushing to complete a £13 million permanent deal unless something changes.
Only four Bundesliga starts out of 10
“The others, like Ellyes Skhiri and Hugo Larsson, are currently ahead of him (in the pecking order),” Toppmoller adds.
“But he can always change this decision through performance in training. And he’s willing to do that.”
Man United, determined to trim the fat and reduce an eye-watering wage bill, must have hoped they had seen the back of Van de Beek when he joined Frankfurt at the start of 2024.
As things stand, however, Van de Beek may be back at Old Trafford when June rolls around, alongside Jadon Sancho, Hannibal Mejbri and Alvaro Fernandez.