Donny van de Beek will be hoping for a fresh start after leaving Manchester United on loan to join Everton until the end of the season.
Van de Beek looked set for Crystal Palace at one stage before the Toffees closed in on Frank Lampard and he immediately got to work on signing the Dutchman.
Rio Ferdinand conducted an interview with van de Beek on his YouTube channel earlier in the season and maintained a relationship with the midfielder.
He used that insight to say why he thinks van de Beek chose Everton and how the Toffees can get the best out of a player who has had a tough time at United.
“We had Donny on the show a while back and I stayed in contact to speak to him quite a lot. I spoke to him over this period of time during the deal,” said Ferdinand.
“Obviously Frank Lampard was a big driver and being able to stay and live at home in Manchester – his girlfriend’s pregnant too – these are factors which played a part as well.
“The important thing is to play games but just as important is where he’s going to play. If you’re going to ask him to play a similar role to what he played for United at times, a bit more defensive, you’re not going to get the best out of this player.
“You have to give him licence to go forward and get into the box. Judge him on what he did at Ajax when he had free reign to get in there and time his runs and get opportunities to score goals.
“He knows how to score. He knows how to play one and two touch in progressive, possession football. Frank Lampard has tried to make his teams play football in a way which would allow someone like Donny van de Beek flourish.”
We have already written about why Everton’s other deadline day signing, Dele Alli, may have an impact on van de Beek’s playing time.
The two could potentially play in the same team, but they are both goalscoring midfielders who want to bomb forward.
Can Lampard accommodate the pair and give them both the freedom they need? Or will one need to play a slightly more disciplined role?
Van de Beek has more experience of playing deeper than Alli, although they both have played a little bit further back in their careers at times.
It will be interesting to see how Lampard, who was of course one of the best Premier League midfielders of all time, fits them both in but it is to be hoped that van de Beek can play regularly and finally get a chance to show what he can do.
- Michael Carrick might have provided a hint on Patrick Dorgu plans as transfer priority becomes clear
- Who is Tynan Thompson? Exciting Spurs wonderkid linked with move to Man Utd
- Ruben Amorim’s biggest wonderkid success story is ending brutally as Man Utd pre-season begins
- Dan Gore will hope for better Man Utd pre-season outing vs Wrexham than he had in 2023
- When Man Utd played Wrexham in the European Cup Winners’ Cup
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
