Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek will have three weeks to impress Erik ten Hag

As Donny van de Beek battles to be fit for the final week of Everton's battle for Premier League survival, there might be knowing nods from successive Manchester United managers who doubted his ability to cope with the demands of the English game.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick both ignored the claims of Van de Beek for a place in a misfiring United midfield and both held similar concerns about his physicality in the centre of the pitch in the Premier League.

A January loan move to Everton was an ideal chance for Van de Beek to prove them wrong, but he's not played in two months now and has made the bench for only one of the Toffees' previous nine Premier League as he battles niggling injuries.

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Frank Lampard confirmed this week he hoped Van de Beek would be in contention to face Brentford on Sunday and would be available for the final week of the campaign, but given Everton's upturn in form has happened without him he might remain on the periphery at Goodison Park.

It's not Van de Beek envisaged his switch down the M62 going when he finally got his move in January. He had wanted to move on loan to Everton in the summer but that move was blocked on deadline day when Solskjaer decided he needed the extra midfielder in his squad.

Van de Beek was extremely disappointed at the decision and to rub salt into the wounds he remained underused by Solskjaer. The departure of Marcel Brands and Rafa Benitez looked to end hopes of a move to Everton, but Lampard remained keen.

But it's not been the springboard he would have hoped, either to more regular playing time at Old Trafford or a move elsewhere. Everton lost four of the five league