Donny van de Beek’s representative has confirmed that talks were held with Everton following the return of Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United.
The Red Devils secured a surprise deal for Ronaldo towards the end of the transfer window, which paved the way for the departure of Daniel James to Leeds United.
Van de Beek was also fancied to join Everton on loan before deadline day, but a deal never materialised after manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer blocked his potential exit.
In an interview with Ziggo Sport, van de Beek’s agent Guido Albers said that the arrival of Ronaldo was ‘bad news’ for his client, with Paul Pogba likely to return to midfield.
He also revealed talks with Toffees sporting director Marcel Brands and owner Farhad Moshiri, but Solskjaer and United were clear that a transfer was out of the question.
He said: “Cristiano arrived on Friday, which we knew was bad news for us. Pogba plays on the left, and with Cristiano’s arrival it means another extra player in midfield, with Pogba moving away from the left.”
“We had conversations with Solskjaer and the board. We took the initiative to find a club, and our search ended up at Everton. We opened talks with Marcel Brands and Farhad Moshiri.
“On Monday night [August 30], we received a call from Solskjaer and the club who told us that a transfer was out of the question and that he had to report himself to training the next morning.”
Our view:
Van de Beek had a tough debut season last term, registering just over 500 minutes of Premier League football.
The club did not bolster their midfield this summer, but they have made significant additions to the attack.
The arrival of Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho could indirectly hamper Van de Beek’s playing time.
Ronaldo is widely expected to lead the line. This could see Mason Greenwood feature out wide more often.
The same should be the case with Anthony Martial, who has predominantly played up front in recent years.
Elsewhere, there is stiff competition with Pogba, Jadon Sancho, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford in the squad.
With the vast wide attacking options, Pogba will probably feature in central midfield.
Things are not looking bright for van de Beek at the moment. He may have to settle for starts in the cup games.
He was recently dropped by returning Netherlands head coach Louis van Gaal due to the lack of regular game time.
The €30 million-rated star may push for an exit in January if his situation does not improve in the coming months.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com.
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