A Dutch legend has given his two cents on one of the bigger deals of the January transfer window - Donny van de Beek's loan move to Everton.
The former Manchester United defender has spoken out about his fellow countryman making the move to Merseyside from Old Trafford.
Van de Beek has signed on-loan until the end of the season. New manager Frank Lampard will likely reward him with more game time at Goodison Park.
In fourteen appearances for Man United this season, the former Ajax man has come off the bench in ten of those games. He's played a full ninety minutes twice.
Many pundits and analysts have called for van de Beek to be more of a feature. His arrival at Old Trafford was seen as good business for an initial 27 million euro fee in 2020.
But it seems he's failed to leave much of a mark on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Ralf Rangnick. Van de Beek has yet to play more than 45 minutes in any Premier League game this season.
Stats of Van De Beek for man united.
They destroyed his career. pic.twitter.com/URygjGzbNY— •WL• (@skillwilll) January 29, 2022
Stam On Van De Beek
Jaap Stam spoke to Dutch paper De Telegraaf about the 24-year-olds latest move. "Donny couldn't get his head around the way United are playing," Stam said.
"United would certainly not have performed less effectively if they had fielded two holding midfielders, allowing Van de Beek to play higher up the pitch."
The arrival of Ralf Rangnick could have been viewed as a fresh start for van de Beek to prove his talents, but the midfielder hasn't seen much game time under the German coach.
Stam feels he was never given much of a chance to showcase his talents given the competition in the squad. When used in the right position, he thinks he could have shone.
Donny van de Beek has successfully completed medical tests and he’s now signing his contract as new Everton player. 🔵🤝 #EFC
Official statement soon. #DeadlineDay
Deal with Manchester United includes loan fee and full salary paid, but there’s no buy option. pic.twitter.com/OJu3zlLvQQ— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 31, 2022
"It all depends on the chances they're given to showcase themselves," Stam said. "Donny works hard, covers a lot of ground, and is also good on the ball."
"You can vary it up with him. He can help build play from the back and has the attributes to play box-to-box. Only he was not given such a role."
With the move to Goodison Park - it's clear Frank Lampard has a vision for Donny van de Beek in his plans going forward. He'll join another new acquisition in Dele Alli.
With Abdoulaye Doucouré sidelined for several weeks, it'll open the door for van de Beek and Alli to make their mark right away. Everton play Brentford in the cup on Saturday.
"I hope he will be able to get minutes under his belt at Everton and that his qualities will be used properly," Stam added. "He has the qualities to succeed at Manchester United in the long run."
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