For Donny van de Beek, life at Manchester United has essentially been a road to nowhere. He hasn’t started a Premier League this season and only made four starts in the league during his first campaign at Old Trafford.
As long as Bruno Fernandes is there, and heathy, this isn’t a situation that will be changing anytime soon. He needs to find a new destination, where he’ll get playing time and it’s looking like a loan move to Crystal Palace will provide a temporary solution for him.
Talks ongoing again today between Manchester United and Crystal Palace for Donny van de Beek. Patrick Vieira is pushing to have Donny soon. ??? #MUFC
Discussions on salary coverage and loan fee between the two clubs. No buy option clause included.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 28, 2022
According to multiple outlets, a move that would not include an option to buy, is pushing closer. It’s not done yet, but getting there. Valencia were also interested in the young Dutchman, but it appears now that Palace is the destination.
Van de Beek, 24, moved from Ajax on an initial £34.7m in August of 2020, but his lack of playing time has been, well, pretty much comical.
Neither the manager who signed him, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, or the current caretaker boss, Ralf Rangnick, gave/are giving him opportunities for regular playing time.
Supposedly, he is considered to be a big part of the club’s future, but it’s obvious that they don’t even regard him as part of the present right now. According to a feature on this transfer narrative in Sky Sports, he’s only played 582 minutes since the start of last season.
This situation just doesn’t square for Van de Beek, and all the parties involved need to figure out a resolution before too long, because, really, life is short.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.