Celtic are rumoured to be eyeing a few marquee signings this summer in order to boost Brendan Rodgers’ squad ahead of another campaign in the UEFA Champions League group stage and the Hoops have three trophies to defend as well. We have already seen them being linked with one Manchester United player in the form of Scott McTominay. And recently, rumours have emerged regarding another one.
There have been suggestions that Celtic have an eye on Donny van de Beek. The Dutchman has struggled to produce his best in a Manchester United shirt ever since joining the club from Ajax in 2020.
He even went out on a loan spell to Everton in the 2021/22 season and things did not work out there either. There were hopes that reuniting with Erik ten Hag would change his situation, but that has not proven to be the case.
Thus, a move away from Manchester United, either on loan or on permanent basis, could be the solution for Van de Beek. Could he end up at Celtic Park?
Lennon tips Manchester United player to join Celtic
Lennon appears to believe that Celtic could be the place for someone like Van de Beek. As reported by the Mirror, the Northern Irishman said on the Go Radio Football Show:
"“Possibly – his career has sort of stalled a bit. He was outstanding for Ajax the season they got to the semi-finals of the Champions League in that really good young Ajax team. He went to United and it didn’t work out and he went on loan to Everton and that didn’t work out either. So he needs a kickstart and maybe Celtic is that place for him.“He’s certainly shown he’s got the pedigree and you never lose it, you just sometimes lose your confidence or your hunger and lose your way a little bit. Players of that calibre just need a restart and maybe he’s thinking Celtic might be that place to go but I mean, there’s a lot of work to be done in a deal involving that.“He’ll be on huge money, let’s not beat around the bush here. Realistically, if you’re talking about [Scott] McTominay, [Kieran] Tierney or Van de Beek, it’ll probably be a loan and Celtic making a contribution towards the wages.”"
Celtic could certainly be a good place for Van de Beek to get his career back on track. Not only would he get the chance to challenge for trophies at the domestic level, but he would also be playing Champions League football as well.
At the same time, engineering a move might be difficult for Celtic. There are more attractive leagues out there than the Scottish Premiership. And it is more than likely that Manchester United would have to pay the majority of Van de Beek’s wages if he was to head to Parkhead on loan. The Hoops cannot ignore his injury history either.