Quality. It’s a word that’s been used by Brendan Rodgers all week and it is one that could be easily applied to Manchester United midfielder, Donny van de Beek.
The Dutch international midfielder was linked to Celtic in the summer as Brendan Rodgers tried to put his stamp on the Celtic team.
Unfortunately for the Celtic manager, a move never materialised and van de Beek stayed at Old Trafford as he looked to break into the Manchester United side.
A £35m 2020 summer signing, the 26-year-old has only featured twice for United this season amassing just 21 minutes of football. [Transfermarkt]
With Euro 2024 coming up next summer, van de Beek will be desperate to get more football under his belt to make the tournament in Germany.
And according to The Mirror, he has been told he can leave to do just that by Erik Ten Hag. The Manchester United manager said, “I think Donny has to play.
“In games he was in the squad, so he had the opportunity.
“It was a slow start to the season because he was still recovering from physical setbacks. But he is back now and he is doing really well in training, so if you can’t give him perspective then I can see he has to play for his career and for everything.”
Donny van de Beek to Celtic assessed
Could Celtic really pull off this move if they decided to reignite their interest in the 26-year-old midfielder?
In truth, if it was for a permanent deal, there would be absolutely no chance of that happening. Man United would be looking to recoup most of the £35m they paid for him and even though Celtic are cash-rich, they simply will not do that.
Another aspect is the Dutch midfielder’s salary. According to SalarySport, van de Beek is on a whopping £140k per week at the EPL club and even if United footed most of that bill, I can’t see the Hoops paying anywhere close to what would be an acceptable amount for Ten Hag to agree to a loan deal.
And that’s before we’ve even spoken about a loan fee. It would be astronomical.
What Donny van de Beek has said previously about links to Celtic
When the midfielder was linked to Celtic in the summer, he was asked what he thought about a move to Glasgow.
Although he didn’t completely rule it out, van de Beek said [Football Scotland], “I’ve been linked with so many clubs, you know how it is. Most of the time things are not true. Let’s see about my future.
“I don’t know, I’m not focussing on that. Everything is open. I’m really proud to wear this shirt and I realise that every day. I will push and then let’s see what happens.
“A move away from the club could be a possibility. Let’s see. I’ve just come back from an injury and I think I have other things to focus on.”
Donny van de Beek to Celtic verdict
Would I love to see Celtic pull off a move like this? Absolutely. It would be box office. An established Dutch international would be an asset to any football team.
Would Celtic lay out the finances to pull off such a deal? Unfortunately, I can’t see it. As I said previously, van de Beek’s wages alone would render this move impossible and it would swallow up all of Celtic’s cash reserves.
But if the board did sanction this move, would van de Beek come to Celtic? Well, he did say in the summer that a move away from United was a possibility for him but unfortunately for Celtic, there is no European football after Christmas to entice him.
Would van de Beek want to come to Scotland to face the likes of Ross County at Dingwall and Livingston on that plastic pitch? I don’t think so.
So whilst van de Beek would represent that ‘quality’ that Brendan Rodgers is so intent on getting in January, this is a player that would be well out of Celtic’s affordability league.
In other news, Anthony Joseph confirms Celtic’s contract stance on ‘fantastic’ 18-year-old player