Van de Beek’s agent opens up on Ronaldo return and failed Everton move

Nicholas Hughes

• 6 Sept 2021 07:41 BST
• 5 min read

Manchester United made a big splash in the transfer window this summer, with the final act being a homecoming for Cristiano Ronaldo.

But one move that didn’t happen at Old Trafford was a way out for Donny van de Beek, and his agent, Guido Albers, has said he is concerned about what Ronaldo’s arrival means for his client.

The Dutchman was pushing for a move at the end of the window after a disappointing debut campaign in England, and Albers believes his time at United might become even tougher.

“Cristiano arrived on Friday, which we knew was bad news for us. Pogba plays on the left, and with Cristiano’s arrival it means another extra player in midfield, with Pogba moving away from the left,” he told Ziggo Sport.

This comes as Albers failed in an 11th hour attempt to engineer a move for van de Beek, with any exit blocked off by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Albers had spoken of interest across England, Germany and Italy on deadline day, and has now admitted how close van de Beek was to joining Everton.

“We had conversations with Solskjaer and the board. We took the initiative to find a club and our search ended up at Everton. We opened talks with Marcel Brands (Everton Director of Football) and Farhad Moshiri (Everton owner),” he said.

Van de Beek has been promised more minutes at Man United

Van de Beek started a mere four games in the Premier League last season, despite coming off the bench to score on his debut against Crystal Palace.

It wasn’t the season he had hoped for after arriving from Ajax, but talks between his agent and the club could mean van de Beek is set for more opportunities in 2021/22.

“The way the conversation went this time compared to last summer – things are much more clear now. I have full expectations that Donny will get his chance now,” Albers said.

Despite those apparent conversations, van de Beek has not taken to the pitch yet this season. With games ramping up coming out of the international break, the Dutchman will be hoping for more action to prove himself as a Manchester United player in the coming weeks.