Frank Lampard gushes over Donny Van de Beek Everton display vs Leeds
Frank Lampard couldn’t hide his delight at the performance of January signing Donny Van de Beek during the 3-0 Everton win against Leeds.
The Dutch midfielder made his first start for the club against the Whites and was excellent alongside Allan in a deeper role, dictating play and pressing high.
Lampard was speaking after the game [via Daily Mail] when he revealed that was exactly why he brought the 25-year-old to the club to begin with and said his versatility will be key for Everton going forward.
“I sort of expected that, because I knew Donny as a player from the outside, brought him here because of his talents in terms of he can play, his intelligence, his work ethic, really intelligent and technical player.
“He was part of a really strong work-ethic kind of performance, he matched the other players in that sense, he gave us a sense of calm, he linked the play, looks confident on the ball and that’s exactly what I brought him here to do.
“I think he can do different roles, and that was the beauty and why I moved so quickly to try to get him when I came in.
“I’m a big admirer of his and I think he can do both roles for us – he played in the double six, or two midfield players (against Leeds) and I know he has the talent to link and get us through the lines with his passing, also the work ethic needed in that role.
“I know he can do higher and he’s a goal threat too.
“That’s one of the big pulls of me bringing him in, knowing he can bring different elements to help us in different ways, and when called upon to do that kind of disciplined role, I thought he did it really, really well.”
Important
Anyone watching the game on Saturday will be wondering what on Earth is going on in the Manchester United midfield that they don’t have space for Van de Beek.
He was everywhere, with determination, technique and plenty of quality in important areas of the pitch and showed that he will be key to the way Lampard wants to play this season.
Everton severely lacked any quality in the middle of the pitch during the first half of this season, but Lampard has immediately put a priority on improving that.
The win over Leeds was mightily important considering their league position, and closed the gap between themselves and Leeds to just one point.
Their next game comes against Southampton next weekend, where they will be coming up against a team in much better form so can expect a tougher test.
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