Edwin van der Sar was so proud when Donny van de Beek left Ajax to Manchester United in 2020.
The Ajax CEO put out a newspaper advert after the player’s £35 million move, urging the supporters to look after him, and telling the midfielder to ‘dream’.
Van de Beek’s dream probably did not involved signing for Everton on loan 18 months later, it is safe to say.
Yet this is where the midfielder finds himself after a depressing stint at United which began so well with a goal on his debut.
Van der Sar has reacted to the midfielder’s loan move to Everton, and hopes it will go well for his former player.
The former United goalkeeper wished him ‘better luck’ in his new surroundings, hinting it was United rather than Van de Beek who was at fault for his lack of game time.
Van der Sar, it should be remembered, only came to United late in his career after a spell at Fulham, so had time to acclimatise to the Premier League. He didn’t need it, having already been a star with Juventus prior and regular for the Netherlands, but it certainly helped him be prepared for the challenge at Old Trafford.
Van de Beek’s short stint at Everton could work in a similar way for him, providing the complimentary addition of Dele Alli to the Everton squad doesn’t complicate his game time at Goodison too.
United want to see Van de Beek thrive, and come back as a new player next season. Van der Sar is desperate for him to succeed, and show Ajax were right about him all along.
Speaking to Everton’s website, Van de Beek said: “I hope to bring my football qualities, my passing, and, of course, scoring goals. It is a big part of my game to score and give assists and I will try to do that again. And it is not only offensive, you have to defend as a midfielder and I can do that as well.”
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