Tuesday, August 31, 2021 at 21:22• Dominic Mostert • Last update: 21:27

Donny van de Beek missed a switch to Everton on the final day of the summer transfer market. According to the General Newspaper Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has blocked a loan departure. Van de Beek himself had set his sights on the transfer to the club of technical manager Marcel Brands, but he will stay at least until the winter break at Old Trafford.

Van de Beek is said to have insisted on a temporary departure from Manchester United in recent weeks. He has not made a single minute of play in the Premier League this season and was also excluded from the first selection of new national coach Louis van Gaal. For his sporting future, a temporary departure from Van de Beek seemed the best. Several clubs showed interest. The club management was willing to cooperate, but Solskjaer would have labeled the departure of Van de Beek as ‘unnegotiable’. The trainer’s decision seems to be a signal that Solskjaer wants to use Van de Beek this season, although there is little evidence of this in practice.

In several recent interviews, Solskjaer has hinted at more playing time for Van de Beek. He was positive about the way the Dutchman used his summer break. “He’s built up some muscle, yes. He was introduced to English football last season and made clever use of the summer months,” Solskjaer said earlier this month. He insinuated that Van de Beek is now used to football in England and could be of value next season. “You never know how players from abroad come in. Some take a year. For example, you can see how Fred has developed since his arrival.” Fred came over from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2018 and won a starting spot in his second season. “There are other players who immediately join in. It depends.”

Van de Beek has so far made 36 appearances for Manchester United, 15 of which as a starting player. He was good for 1 goal and 2 assists. His contract runs for another four years. On Monday, Fabrizio Romano already announced that he was taking into account a departure from Van de Beek on the final day of the transfer market. “It’s late, but never say never. If a club bites in the next few hours…”, he said in his podcast. “I’ve always kept an eye on Donny because he never plays and we talk about a really good footballer. He deserves to play and to show his qualities.”