Van de Beek’s tenure at Frankfurt has been marked by limited playing time, with the midfielder often relegated to the bench and omitted from the club’s Europa Conference League squad, signaling an uncertain future with the German club.
According to reports from talkSPORT, Van de Beek is poised to make a return to Manchester United at the conclusion of the season, as Frankfurt has shown no intention of activating the buy option stipulated in the initial loan agreement.
The Dutch midfielder was originally brought to Old Trafford in 2020 by former United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from Ajax for a reported fee of £40 million.
Despite high expectations surrounding his arrival, Van de Beek struggled to make a significant impact due to a series of injuries and a notable decline in performance.
Throughout his time at United, Van de Beek managed just 62 appearances across all competitions, finding the back of the net only twice.
His loan spell at Everton during the 2021/2022 season failed to yield significant improvement, as he registered just one goal in seven appearances for the Toffees.
In January, United manager Erik ten Hag shed light on the factors contributing to Van de Beek’s challenges at the club, citing recurring injuries as a primary obstacle.
“He has had many injuries, first of all,” explained Ten Hag. “From the first moment I came in here at Manchester United, he wasn’t the player he was at Ajax because he was injured.
So many times he was not available and then he struggled for a long time to recover from that injury.”
Furthermore, Ten Hag emphasized the stiff competition for midfield positions at United, which further limited Van de Beek’s opportunities on the pitch.
“We decided for a loan in the summer but it didn’t come and then his opportunities are few because also we make appointments and we make agreements with players and contract players in that position. The competition was high,” Ten Hag elaborated.
