Everton window could be closed for Donny van de Beek after what happened v Manchester United
Donny van de Beek’s window of opportunity at Everton may have closed while Premier League loan rules barred him from the win over Manchester United.
The Dutchman could not play against his parent club at Goodison today (9 April), so he was not rushed back from the injury that kept him out of the previous two games after being injured in the warm up at West Ham (3 April).
Losses at the London Stadium and then at Turf Moor against Burnley in midweek saw defender Mason Holgate preferred for the midfield role the former Ajax man had vacated, with Dele Alli notably left on the bench.
But the return of long-term absentee Fabian Delph made a big difference for the 1-0 win against Ralf Rangnick’s men, and may have already bypassed the loanee.
The ex-Manchester City and Aston Villa man made his first appearance since December and lasted nearly the whole game, bringing crucial control to the midfield.
He lined up alongside Allan who was back from suspension following his red card against Newcastle, and Alex Iwobi who has played the duration of the past four Premier League games now.
Victim of cirumstance
Lampard clearly rates the Nigerian’s contribution, and it was his winner that secured the last points of his tenure against Newcastle (17 March), although he was poor at Burnley.
Brazilian Allan looks to be the first choice in central midfield when available, and the Toffees were lacking in his absence.
Van de Beek would have been fairly confident of slotting in alongside those two, and was due to do so against the Hammers before a cruelly-timed injury.
He has now missed the previous four games, which includes the two crucial victories.
Having missed out on the Newcastle win, suffered an injury, and been ruled out today administratively, he has moved backwards in the pecking order.
The manager will not want to mess to heavily with the formula that brought a much-improved performance today, and Delph’s form in his first game back hasn’t gone unnoticed.
So van de Beek faces an uphill task to force his way back into the starting XI, let alone make the impact he would like in his time at the club.
With Erik ten Hag apparently front-runner to take over at Old Trafford, his former charge looks to have a new opportunity there.
The 24-year-old will have wanted to impress in the final weeks of the season, either to prove to his temporary or permanent employers he still has quality.
But he now faces being buried in a rotation that has now done better without him more than once, so could finish his time on Merseyside with a whimper.
In other Everton news, Martin Keown was at a loss to explain the improvement of one Toffee at Goodison against Man United.
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