Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek and partner Estelle Bergkamp have welcomed their first child together.
The Dutchman, who is currently on loan at Everton confirmed last year that he and his partner - the daughter of former Arsenal striker Dennis Bergkamp - were expecting. In a post on Instagram, the 24-year-old welcomed new arrival Lomee van de Beek, who was born on Saturday.
While he might have been given time off to attend the birth, Van de Beek was never going to be in action on Saturday. His parent club United lost to Everton at Goodison Park, with Premier League loan rules making him ineligible.
"Welcome to the world Lomée van de Beek - 09/04/2022," Van de Beek wrote. "Proud of you @estellebergkamp."
A number of footballers past and present sent the new parents their well wishes. Among them was Ian Wright, a former teammate of Dennis Bergkamp at Arsenal and has seen the Dutchman join him in becoming a grandfather.
Plenty of Van de Beek's compatriots also sent their regards. Former Ajax star Wesley Sneijder congratulated them, as did current Dutch international Denzel Dumfries and young centre-back Sven Botman.
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Van de Beek has been able to play a bit more football since leaving Manchester United on loan in January. He played less than 90 minutes in total for the Red Devils this season, but took just two games to pass that mark after moving to Merseyside.
He has recently been ruled out through injury, with a thigh problem sustained in the warm-up before Everton's loss at West Ham keeping him on the sidelines. However, he will be available for selection against Leicester City next time out.
"It's a small grade thigh injury, which will make him fit [for Leicester]," Everton manager Frank Lampard told the club's website before their midweek loss at Burnley.
The midfielder's long-term United future could depend on their next manager. Erik ten Hag managed the £40m man at Ajax, and remains the front-runner, though Mirror Football has exclusively revealed that RB Leipzig are hopeful of hijacking the deal.
Van de Beek scored 41 times for Ajax, hitting double-figures in the 2018-19 season as the team reached the Champions League semi-final under Ten Hag. He has just two goals in 50 appearances for United, however, even if many of those have been late run-outs from the bench.
"Donny has become an absolute star for us," Ten Hag said when the pair were together in Amsterdam. "He has developed into a modern midfielder, with depth, goals and a strong transition to both sides."
