Donny van de Beek has joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan from Manchester United until the end the season, with the German club paying a minimal fee.

The Bundesliga side have an option to buy the midfielder for €11m (£9.5m) plus €3m add-ons in the summer, and will pay the majority of the midfielder’s weekly salary of about £120,000 during the loan.

It is the second time Van de Beek has left on loan since joining from Ajax in 2020. The Dutchman has never established himself in the team, making only two appearances this season and 62 overall, scoring twice and making two assists. Two years ago, Van de Beek signed for Everton for the second half of the 2021-22 campaign and played seven times, scoring once.

United expect a quiet winter window when it comes to permanent transfers. Erik ten Hag would consider selling the midfielder Casemiro, the centre-back Raphaël Varane and the forwards Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial but he will only do so if he can also strengthen in these areas. Financial fair play rules mean there is the need to generate funds before any significant signings are made, so the club will listen to bidders.

Any prospective deals are complicated by the need to consult the incoming new minority shareholder, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who will control United’s football operations. The Ineos owner’s initial 25% purchase will take five-to-seven weeks to be ratified by the Premier League. Despite this, the terms of the buy-in mean Ratcliffe’s team, led by Sir Dave Brailsford, have to be consulted on recruitment.