Everton chief Marcel Brands refuses to rule out January move for Donny van de Beek as he says ‘it is a pity’ the Dutchman is barely getting a kick at Manchester United
- Everton are interested in making another attempt to sign Donny van de Beek
- Director of football Marcel Brands said they tried to get him on loan last summer
- The Dutchman has played only five minutes of Premier League football this term
- ‘Such a boy wants to play and return to the Dutch national team,’ Brands said
Everton have revealed they tried to sign Donny van de Beek on loan from Manchester United in the summer and are potentially interested in making another attempt to bring the out-of-favour midfielder to Goodison Park in January.
Van de Beek had a hugely disappointing first season at United following his £35.5million move from Ajax in 2020 and his stock with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has fallen even further this season, with the Dutchman playing only five minutes of Premier League football so far.
Everton director of football Marcel Brands has admitted his club made an approach for Van de Beek in the summer.
Everton tried to sign out-of-favour midfielder Donny van de Beek over the summer
Director of football Marcel Brands revealed Everton wanted to sign the Dutchman on loan
‘We had him on our list,’ Brands told Dutch broadcaster NOS.
‘At the beginning of the transfer window, we made an enquiry to United, then it was impossible.
‘At the end of the window, I received a call from Guido Albers, his agent, that he might be loaned out after all. But at the last minute it was cancelled. Stopped again.’
Asked if Everton could make another move for Van de Beek in January, Brands added: ‘You always depend on whether a club wants to cooperate. And it is early October, so much can still happen with injuries. United are playing on various fronts, it’s hard to say now.’
Van de Beek’s only start in any competition this season came in the 1-0 defeat at home to West Ham in the Carabao Cup while his difficult period at United hit a new low when he failed to get on the pitch in last week’s Champions League game at home to Villarreal, with Fred and Nemanja Matic coming on instead.
Van de Beek (top row, second from left) was frustrated at not coming on against Villarreal
The Dutchman could not hide his frustration and threw a piece of chewing gum in frustration towards Solskjaer while his team-mates tried to comfort him.
He was also an unused substitute in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to Everton.
For former Dutch footballer Brands, Van de Beek’s situation is tough to take, especially as the midfielder has lost his place in the national side and was left out of the team’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers by Louis van Gaal.
‘It is of course a pity for Donny. He is a very good player, no doubt about it,’ added Brands
‘Such a boy wants to play and wants to return to the Dutch national team. But you know that at such a club the pressure is great and the competition is huge.
‘When you see what United had sitting on the bench [against Everton at the weekend]: Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho, Paul Pogba…’
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