Marco van Ginkel: Doubts Surrounding Chelsea's AC Milan Loanee
Loaned out to AC Milan, Chelsea's Dutch central midfielder Marco van Ginkel, 22, is engulfed in doubt.
Destitute of fitness and form, it is normal if you have question marks over Van Ginkel bouncing back to become a star at Chelsea.
Fall From Grace
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Ever since intercepting then-Ajax centre-back Toby Alderweireld's headed clearance to finish confidently as a 17-year-old in Vitesse's 4-2 defeat in 2010, Van Ginkel was tagged as the latest Dutch wunderkind.
Anticipating then-Vitesse right-back Michihiro Yasuda's cutback, Van Ginkel conjured up a moment of genius, scoring an audacious backheel goal in a 5-0 win over Roda in 2011.
Van Ginkel transitioned from prospect to a pre-eminent part of Vitesse, prompting a call-up to the Netherlands national team in 2012.
"During training this morning I heard some people talking about it on the side of the pitch," Van Ginkel said, per Voetbal International (h/t FIFA.com). "I am very happy with this beautiful reward."
Demonstrating athleticism and vision, Van Ginkel sliced through ADO Den Haag's defence and played in then-Vitesse centre-forward Wilfried Bony during a 4-0 win in 2013.
In 111 games for Vitesse spread over four seasons, Van Ginkel showed his versatility by functioning as either a No. 6, No. 8, or No. 10.
Able to defend, create and score, you expected Van Ginkel would be targeted by bigger clubs.
Though, there was a safer route of signing for Ajax, a la Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Heerenveen) and Luis Suarez (Groningen).
Ajax were willing to build their team around Van Ginkel to give him the best opportunity to maximise his development in the Eredivisie.
But Van Ginkel wanted to make the jump to the Premier League, partly due to financial incentives, as revealed by Ajax technical director Marc Overmars.
"Ajax were very interested in Van Ginkel and we were willing to go quite far," Overmars said, per Voetbal International (h/t Stefan Coerts at Goal). "[But] it is always difficult for us [as] we cannot beat Chelsea's financial resources."
The days of plucking Nikos Machlas and Victor Sikora from Vitesse were all but a distant memory for Ajax.
Van Ginkel, whose transfer stock was just as high as Machlas and Sikora, was going to sign with Chelsea once the Blues were seriously interested given their relationship with Vitesse.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho "personally assured Van Ginkel that he would be granted significant first-team football" after signing for €12.4/£9 million in the 2013 summer transfer window, per Dominic Fifield at the Guardian.
"I enjoy the defensive side of the game but I also like to try to get forward and score goals as well, I like to help out in both areas," Van Ginkel said, per Chelsea's official website. "In the five weeks I've been working under [Mourinho] I've already learnt a lot, that's why he's been such a successful manager over the years."
Colliding with Tottenham Hotspur's then-Swindon Town loanee Alex Pritchard, Van Ginkel's knee buckled during Chelsea's 2-0 win in 2013.
Two months and 22 days after signing for Chelsea, Van Ginkel was in rehabilitation after undergoing anterior cruciate ligament surgery.
In the 2014 January transfer window, Chelsea re-signed Nemanja Matic from Benfica for €28.8/£21 million, which was an indictment on Van Ginkel.
After recovering, Van Ginkel finished the 2013-14 season interchanging from playing in the U21s to watching Chelsea as a spectator.
You knew Van Ginkel being loaned out the following season was on the horizon.
Serie A Loan
Sent to underachieving AC Milan, a fallen superpower, now consigned to weird and/or cheap transfer deals—the John Travolta of football clubs—Van Ginkel was initially hesitant about the proposed loan.
"Mourinho suggested for me to come to AC Milan ... Nigel de Jong and Fernando Torres called me several times to convince me," Van Ginkel said, per the Milan Channel (h/t Simone Bargellini at Sky Sports). "[Now] I'm really happy here at AC Milan."
When Van Ginkel has played for AC Milan, he has gone through the motions and has not played with the intensity that precipitated his rise to prominence.
Averaging more fouls per game (1.4) than tackles (1.2) and only making 25.8 passes per game tells you he is not making an impact.
There are 14 Serie A games left in the season and Van Ginkel has only played 231 minutes, meaning his situation still has not changed since his agent Karel Jansen issued an ultimatum last November.
"Marco did not have to go to Italy and do nothing," Jansen said, per FOX Sports (h/t talkSPORT). "Even after he recovered from the injury he has had very little time on the pitch ... Chelsea have not pulled the plug but they might if the current situation continues."
Ajax came calling in the January transfer window, but Van Ginkel spurned them again, according to the Amsterdam club's manager Frank de Boer.
"We asked Van Ginkel if he wanted to move, because Davy Klaassen and Thulani Serero were not fit," De Boer said, per Bruce Archer at the Daily Express. "Due to injuries we needed Daley Sinkgraven right away. And besides that, Van Ginkel didn't want to come."
AC Milan executive vice president and chief executive officer Adriano Galliani believes Van Ginkel can have a Kevin Strootman-like influence.
"I consider Van Ginkel on the same level as Strootman," Galliani said, per AC Milan's official website. "[Van Ginkel] just needs to [play more often]."
- December 13, 2014, per Milan Channel (h/t Football Italia): "Sulley Muntari's tackle that injured Marco van Ginkel was 'tough, but not malicious,' insisted [AC Milan manager] Filippo Inzaghi ... it ruled teammate Van Ginkel out for up to six weeks, causing a sprained ankle with ligament damage."
- September 24, 2014, per Omnisport (h/t SBS): "AC Milan has confirmed that midfielder Marco van Ginkel suffered ankle ligament damage in the 2-2 draw with Empoli."
"Muntari getting a bench ready for Van Ginkel pic.twitter.com/PsVOyqK0EX
— Sellvio Berlu$coni (@Pure_Milanista) December 12, 2014"
Van Ginkel's stint at AC Milan is like renting a luxury car that isn't reliable.
Galliani was inadvertently right: Van Ginkel is similar to Strootman—mind says yes, body says no.
This poses a significant problem for Chelsea, so the Blues need to make two crucial alterations:
- Change Van Ginkel's position from central midfielder to central attacking midfielder and limit his defensive duties.
When not specified, statistics via WhoScored.com.
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