Van de Beek has seen little action at Frankfurt, often sitting on the bench and even being left out of the club’s Europa Conference League squad, casting doubt on his future with the German side.
talkSPORT reports that Van de Beek is expected to return to Manchester United after the season concludes, as Frankfurt is not planning to exercise the buy option in the initial loan deal.
The Dutch midfielder joined Old Trafford in 2020 from Ajax under former United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for a fee of £40 million.
Despite high hopes for his time at United, Van de Beek faced challenges due to injuries and a decline in form.
During his United career, Van de Beek made only 62 appearances across all competitions and scored just twice.
His loan stint at Everton in the 2021/2022 season didn’t see much improvement, as he scored only one goal in seven games for the Toffees.
Earlier this year, United manager Erik ten Hag pointed to Van de Beek’s injuries as a major hurdle in his development at the club.
“He has had many injuries, first of all,” Ten Hag said. “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.”
Ten Hag also highlighted the tough competition for midfield spots at United, which limited Van de Beek’s chances to play.
“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 explained.
