Tottenham Hotspur attacker Steven Bergwijn has admitted that he will likely be forced to look for a move away from the North London club amid links with a switch to Manchester United.
The Netherlands international already found himself behind Lucas Moura in the Spurs pecking order and has been pushed further down since the arrival and solid form of Dejan Kulusevski.
Bergwijn arrived at the club as a 22-year-old from PSV Eindhoven for a £27m fee in the January window two years ago, but he has struggled to nail down a regular spot in the first XI.
A dream Premier League debut saw Bergwijn net in a 2-0 victory at home to Manchester City, while he has appeared on 29 occasions in all competitions during the 2021-22 season.
However, Bergwijn has only managed to register four goals and two assists in that spell, with both of his Premier League strikes coming in that dramatic late victory at Leicester City back in January.
Bergwijn's heroics in that game have not led to better fortunes for the 24-year-old, though, and he has only made the first XI in four top-flight games this term.
© Reuters
As a result, Bergwijn is being strongly linked with an exit from Antonio Conte's side in the upcoming summer window as he pushes for a place in the Netherlands squad at the 2022 World Cup.
With Bergwijn's compatriot Erik ten Hag taking over at Manchester United in the summer, the Red Devils are supposedly interested in bringing the Dutchman to Old Trafford as part of their attacking shake-up.
The former PSV man has now admitted that a transfer away from Spurs is the likeliest option at the end of the season, telling Dutch outlet AD: "A starting place here? I honestly don't think so.
"It's a difficult story for me. It's good up front, but I don't play much. There are still four games to go. After that, we will see in the summer what is best for both parties. It's important to me that I'm going to play now."
Bergwijn spent six years in the youth setup at Ajax between 2005 and 2011 before heading for PSV, and the Dutchman would be open to a return to the Amsterdam giants.
"Ajax would certainly be an option. A return to the Netherlands would certainly be an option for me. The World Cup is coming. Mr Van Gaal, the national coach, brought me into the squad last time, even though I didn't play much," Bergwijn added.
© Reuters
"Of course it's nice that you just score those goals and show that you can be a full-fledged player. But then you come back to the club and you hardly play. In the summer we really have to look for a solution."
When asked about the prospect of linking up with Ten Hag at Man United next season, Bergwijn left the door open to a possible move, responding: "I haven't spoken to him yet, but who knows, maybe that will happen."
Bergwijn was brought off the bench for the final eight minutes of Sunday's 3-1 home win over Leicester City, and he has not started a Premier League game for Conte's side since their 2-0 loss to Chelsea on January 23.
The Dutchman has now made a total of 80 appearances in all competitions for the North London club, during which time he has scored eight goals and set up 10 more.
In spite of his struggles at club level, Bergwijn came up with the goods for the Netherlands in March's international friendlies, bagging a brace against Denmark in a 4-2 win before also making the net ripple in a 1-1 draw with Germany.
The three-time Eredivisie champion remains under contract at Tottenham until the end of the 2024-25 campaign, and the Lilywhites may allegedly be prepared to consider offers of around £15m for the out-of-favour attacker this summer.
Ben Knapton
