Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek will return to Old Trafford when his loan spell at Eintracht Frankfurt ends in June after the German club opted not to exercise an option to make the transfer permanent, according to a report.
Frankfurt have the option to sign Van de Beek for £9.5 million plus £2.6m in add-ons but the 26-year-old has become a peripheral figure in the Bundesliga, making two brief appearances from the bench in their last six league games.
The Dutchman joined Frankfurt during the winter transfer window and made five of his seven appearances in January and February. He was left out of Frankfurt’s Uefa Europa Conference League squad.
Van de Beek will seek a new club during the summer window, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has said.
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Head coach Dino Toppmoller acknowledged he had apologised to Van de Beek for his exclusion from European competition.
“I told Donny that I was sorry but also what I expected from him now,” the former Bayern Munich assistant said at the time.
“He’s only played a total of four games in the last two years, so it won’t happen overnight.
“But I have 100% confidence in his quality. He’ll definitely help us in the second half of the season.”
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Van de Beek stats
United signed Van de Beek from Ajax for an initial £35m in September 2020 after he impressed for the Dutch giants and the Netherlands.
He scored in their 3-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace on the opening day of that season but failed to establish himself as a first-choice player.
A loan move to Everton in January 2022 was hindered by a thigh issue and a knee injury in January 2023 ended a season with United in which he again rarely played.
Van de Beek, who last played for his country in 2021, has made one two-minute appearance for United in 2023/24, serving as an unused substitute 11 times.
