Man Utd make transfer decision on £35m flop Donny van de Beek – with agent ruling out two options ahead of summer window

Netherlands international Van de Beek moved to Old Trafford for £35 million ($44m) in 2020 but has found game time hard to come by throughout his association with the Red Devils – taking in just 62 appearances. He has spent time on loan at Everton and Eintracht Frankfurt, but no permanent deal has been done with either.

Van de Beek will be due back in England over the summer, but his representative has confirmed that another switch will be sanctioned. Guido Albers has told ESPN's Goedemorgen Eredivisie of taking on a completely new challenge: “For me it is a very nice moment in his career to pick it up again. We said together, 'back to basics'. He's lost that a bit in recent years. He is hungry and eager to please. I came to an agreement with Frankfurt for him. Frankfurt still had an option until June 30, which they will not exercise. Officially he is now going back to Manchester United and I am now in discussions with him. Donny does not want to stay in the Premier League, also because United do not want that. That is not a good choice for him.”

While ruling out a move to another English club, Albers says Van de Beek will not be returning to his roots either. He added on what the future could hold: “He needs to return to a club that plays good football. In any case, he will not return to Ajax. My preference was to look in Spain, Italy or France. If I could get him in Spain or Italy that would be fantastic, at a club where he will play as a No.10 like he played at Ajax. You see that the Dutch are successful in a certain way in Spanish or Italian football. He was very close to a transfer to Real Sociedad last summer. That was cancelled at the last minute because Erik ten Hag wanted to keep him until the last minute. Then he ended up at Frankfurt.”

Van de Beek is approaching the final 12 months of his contract with United, making it imperative that they find a buyer this summer while still being in a position to demand a fee. The creative midfielder is now 27 years of age, so needs a club that will allow him to get a once promising career back on track.