'Timid' Donny van de Beek's humiliation continues as brutal verdict given on Man Utd flop
Donny van de Beek has failed to impress on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt and the Bundesliga club are not expected to trigger their option to buy the Manchester United flop
Manchester United's Donny van de Beek is set to return to Old Trafford this summer after a disappointing loan spell at Eintracht Frankfurt. The Dutch midfielder, who was hoping to revive his career in Germany, has struggled to impress and has been left on the bench three times already.
Frankfurt had an option to buy Van de Beek for £12.5million plus add-ons, but they currently have no plans to do so. Despite playing 302 minutes of football in both attacking and central midfield positions, Van de Beek has failed to win over Frankfurt boss Dino Toppmoller with his performances.
Each time he started in a Bundesliga match, he had to be replaced. To add insult to injury, Van de Beek was brought on to take over from the injured Hugo Larsson in a game against Bochum, only to be replaced himself in the second half as he couldn't "maintain power" in an additional humiliation.
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Local paper Frankfurter Rundschau pulled no punches when it came to judging Van de Beek with a brutal verdict.
"Donny van de Beek...is not expected to have much of a future at Frankfurt. There is little to nothing to suggest that his loan stint will be made permanent," the report began.
"After years on the bench at Man Utd and Everton, the 26-year-old is barely able to keep up with the intensity of the Bundesliga, his lack of rhythm is noticeable in every game. He is like a foreign body, timid and hesitant, and error-prone to boot."
"It will be tough for Van de Beek in the coming weeks, although head coach Dino Toppmöller has not yet fully given up on him. Nevertheless, the question has to be asked: Why did Eintracht Frankfurt sign him in the first place?"
Frankfurt have been struggling recently, but they celebrated their first victory in five games last week, beating Heidenheim 2-1. Van de Beek, however, didn't play a single minute for the third time in five matches. He did see action on Sunday, however, as a 72nd -minute substitute against 10-man Hoffenheim in a 3-1 win.
In total, Van de Beek has four starts, and two substitute appearances. Frankfurt clearly don’t see him as a player capable of making an impact. The Dutch international only has one more year left on his contract with United when this season ends, and it's clear he doesn't have a future at Old Trafford.
On that note, indications are now apparent that the midfielder won't be able to revive his fortunes at United under the guidance of ex-Ajax boss Erik ten Hag. The Manchester United bosses bought the player for £34m back in 2020 after he shone under their current manager in Amsterdam - a time when he helped Ajax reach the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.
Van de Beek talked to the press in November, before his trip on loan. He said: "I need to start playing games very soon - if not at Man United then at another club. I think I have to be ambitious. I have always been a lover of the game. I am absolutely crazy about football. I earn a good living at United, but money is not my motivation. I want to enjoy my work every day."
Real Sociedad, Lorient, and Galatasaray were also interested in him in the winter.