Marcel Brands has confirmed on Dutch radio network Langs de Lijn, via NOS, that Everton wanted to sign Donny van de Beek this summer before Manchester United pulled the plug.
The Toffees Director of Football approached the Red Devils at the start of the window, but a deal was impossible. Manchester United refused to sanction any move for the midfielder to leave Old Trafford inside 12-months of joining from Ajax.
Yet, as the market wound down, Van de Beek’s agent, Guido Albers, gave Brands renewed hope of a potential transfer. Only for Manchester United to pull a sudden U-turn at the eleventh hour and deny Everton once again.
Reports by The Telegraph of Everton’s interest in Van de Beek claimed some at Goodison Park did not share Brands’ confidence in the benefits of signing the Manchester United flop. But the Toffees chief is certain of his compatriot’s talents and rues his situation.
“We had him on our list,” Brands confirmed. “At the beginning of the transfer window, we inquired at United, then it was impossible. At the end of the window, I received a call from Guido Albers, his agent, that he might be rented out after all. But at the last minute it was cancelled, stopped again.
Brands added: “It is of course a pity for Donny. He is a very good player, no doubt about it. 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.”
Everton may have chance to sign Van de Beek in January
Van de Beek has cut a peripheral role at Old Trafford since Manchester United blocked his potential move to Everton. The £120k-a-week midfielder has only played six-minutes in the Premier League so far, with six appearances as an unused substitute.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reluctance to use the 19-cap Netherlands international is frustrating the Red Devils’ £40m signing. The Daily Mail claim Van de Beek will try to leave Manchester United in January, and Brands refuses to rule out Everton exploring his situation again.
“You always depend on whether a club wants to cooperate. And it is early October, so much can still happen with injuries,” he noted. “United are playing on various fronts, it’s hard to say now.”
Van de Beek played the opening 45-minutes of Manchester United’s Champions League group stage loss at Young Boys last month. But has not featured in the competition since, while playing 90-minutes in defeat to West Ham in the Carabao Cup.
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