Everton have announced the signing of Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek on loan from Manchester United until the end of the season. The deal does not include an option to buy.
Van de Beek becomes the first official signing by Frank Lampard since he took over the managerial reins at the club following the sacking of Rafael Benitez.
Despite scoring on debut, the midfielder has been out of favour at Manchester United since his move from Ajax 18 months ago which has led to only a few cameo appearances off the bench.
Van de Beek made only 19 starts in all competitions for the Red Devils since his move in 2020 and will be hoping for a fresh start after signing for Everton till the end of the season.
Van de Beek reacts after signing for Everton
After signing his Everton contract, van de Beek revealed his delight at securing the move. He also heaped praises on Lampard who he says was integral to his move to the club.
“Now I can say I am an Everton player, I am really happy and can’t wait to help the team,” van de Beek told Everton’s official website.
“I think it is a great club… there are really good players here and I came because I want to help them go up the table.
“I hope to bring my football qualities, my passing, and, of course, scoring goals. It is a big part of my game to score and give assists and I will try to do that again. And it is not only offensive, you have to defend as a midfielder and I can do that as well.
“I had a really positive meeting with the new coach. 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.”
What does van de Beek bring to Everton?
Van de Beek was very close to signing for Crystal Palace but after discussions with Lampard, he was convinced to join Everton.
He joins a side desperate for quality reinforcements after having their season marred by player injuries and loss of form.
The Dutch midfielder will finally have the chance to show his quality and show why he was bought by Manchester United in the first place.
With injuries to midfield players like Abdoulaye Doucoure, Fabian Delph and Tom Davies, van de Beek could be assured of more playing time at Everton than he had at Manchester United.
It is unclear whether he would be involved in Everton’s FA Cup tie fixture against Brentford on Saturday having just joined the squad but he could feature in the Toffees’ Premier League midweek fixture against Newcastle on Tuesday, February 8.
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