Donny van de Beek impressed during his starting debut for Everton. The midfielder hired from Manchester United played 90 minutes in the 3-0 home game against Leeds United. Both the English media and manager Frank Lampard praised Van de Beek’s performance in his second appearance for Everton afterwards.
“A outstanding basic debut. He was the basis of the opening goal with an excellent pass and his intelligence. The stadium gave its approval after fifteen minutes with a special song for Van de Beek,” writes de Liverpool Echo† “Maybe this was proof that Manchester United were ruining a real talent. But that doesn’t matter now, he can play an important role at Everton. This was the performance of a clean Everton midfielder†
“Donny van de Beek showed his actual employer what they are missing. He demonstrated that he has the ability to quickly adapt to a new system.” Daily Mirror† “The midfielder impressed with his all round work: Offensively he contributed, while in the first half there was no player with more tackles. When Van de Beek arrived at Everton at the same time as Dele Alli, there were concerns that they would be competing for one spot.”
“But it was interesting that Lampard brought Alli on the attack to replace Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Van de Beek’s performance was enough to win over some of the Manchester United supporters. They were full of frustration after their midfield’s game against Southampton.” Daily Mirror Manchester United’s 1-1 draw against Southamtpon. The Daily Mail also quotes the fans of Manchester United.
“Van de Beek was excellent in his first home game with Everton. Manchester United fans must be wondering why he was allowed to be loaned out. Van de Beek looked sharper in Everton’s blue than Manchester United’s red. At one point, walking around with a bleeding nose only made him more popular with Everton fans.” Daily Mail† The Guardian saw Van de Beek bring ‘peace and vision’ to Everton’s midfield.
“I loved Donny,” said Everton manager Lampard afterwards. “It’s not easy to play with two in midfield. He did a brilliant job with Allan. It is special for Van de Beek to first play at home with Everton. Sometimes he was a little too calm on the ball, but he works hard and plays very intelligently. It was amazing. He can play as number six. But he can also play higher up the field. He has the talent to play between the lines. The threat to the goal is one of the reasons it was achieved.”