LACKS PATIENCE: Leeds United fans will like this as player who forced Elland Road Exist despite giving new role by Daniel Farke now totally axed out of recent teams traveling squad despite being benched since arrival.
Several Leeds United players, including Cody Drameh, Ian Poveda, Luke Ayling, and Jamie Shackleton, departed the club at the end of their contracts, moving to Championship teams. Liam Cooper is poised to make his first appearance for CSKA Sofia.
Among the younger players who left Leeds on free transfers was 21-year-old Dutch goalkeeper Dani van den Heuvel. Originally signed from Ajax in August 2020 during Victor Orta’s youth recruitment drive, van den Heuvel never made a first-team appearance for Leeds. He was, however, a regular in the U21 squad and overcame a serious back injury sustained while playing for the Netherlands U21 team.
Van den Heuvel was named as a substitute six times under Daniel Farke and once under Jesse Marsch, including the FA Cup victory over Accrington Stanley where Rodrigo suffered a foot injury.
The young goalkeeper has now joined Club Brugge, a team competing in the Champions League, on a free transfer with a two-year contract. Despite being part of the squad for three of Brugge’s five matches this season, van den Heuvel has yet to play and was left out of the squad twice.
As Brugge prepares to face Dortmund in the Champions League, van den Heuvel is likely to be included in the squad. However, he finds himself as the second or third-choice goalkeeper behind former Liverpool and current Belgium international Simon Mignolet.
Ironically, after leaving Leeds due to lack of playing time, van den Heuvel may face a similar situation at Brugge. Despite potentially being part of a Champions League squad, his chances of regular game time appear limited unless injuries or other circumstances create an opportunity.