Manchester United raised eyebrows by failing to make a single senior signing during the January transfer window. The Red Devils were uncharacteristically quiet, but allowed Donny van de Beek to leave on loan on deadline day.
Van de Beek’s time at United has been nothing short of a nightmare.
The Dutchman, who arrived with lofty expectations in 2020, has barely managed to get a kick during his time at the club.
Gone are the days of scoring in the Champions League semi-finals and starring on the biggest stage.
Instead, he’s been resigned to nothing more than a bench-warmer role, akin to that of fellow outcast Jesse Lingard.
Like Van de Beek, Lingard left United on loan in January 2021, becoming a cult hero at West Ham for his tremendous performances.
It was expected that he’d depart on a permanent move in the summer that followed, or that he’d be reintegrated into the United side.
Neither happened. Instead, Lingard was left on the sidelines by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his replacement Ralf Rangnick.
A January exit for both Lingard and van de Beek seemed to be on the cards, but instead the former was kept around.
A late move to Newcastle seemed to have the blessing of both the player and Rangnick, but for one reason or another Lingard remained at Old Trafford as the clock ticked to February 1.
One player who was able to escape, however, was Van de Beek.
The Dutchman signed a six-month loan with Everton, where he will likely play every week for Frank Lampard’s side.
Reports suggest the thinking inside the hallways of Old Trafford was that Van de Beek’s time at Goodison would be similar to that of Lingard at West Ham, but United decision-makers would do well to plan for what happens next.
United have made the mistake of letting Lingard sit on the bench and have no impact on the team whatsoever, and it’s come back to haunt them.
The midfielder recently had to deny having asked for time off due to being denied his move away, forcing another crack in his relationship with Rangnick.
United are now faced with the prospect of paying him until the end of the season with little chance of him having any role in the side.
The blueprint for how not to deal with fringe midfielders is there for the club’s next manager. They must not make the same mistake with Van de Beek.
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