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24th December 2024
Dundee United are delighted to announce the signing of Jort van der Sande from ADO Den Haag on a permanent transfer, as the striker arrives at the club on a two-year deal. The move is subject to both international and SFA clearance.
After spending a large portion of his childhood on the Caribbean Island of Bonaire, a municipality of the Netherlands, van der Sande entered the academy of boyhood club FC Den Bosch upon his return to the mainland - a side who our Scottish Cup-winning hero of 1994 Guido van de Kamp, and Freddy van der Hoorn, have represented.
His breakthrough into the first team came in the summer of 2014 having starred for the club’s reserve side consistently, going on to grab four goals and three assists in his debut senior term in the Dutch second tier aged just 19.
Throughout the subsequent five seasons, the frontman became an integral part of a side that regularly jousted for a place in the promotion play-offs - a feat which the White and Blue Dragons ultimately achieved in van der Sande’s final campaign.
Having made over a century of appearances, his time at De Vliert ended with an approach from fellow Eerste Divisie outfit FC Eindhoven.
A three-year stint with Ernie Brandts’ men brought further battles for a place in the top flight, as van der Sande maintained an encouraging return of a goal contribution every 204 minutes in the south west.
A prolific 12 months with NAC Breda then followed, with our new number 20 involved in over a third of their 64 league goals during 2022/23, including a thundering header against MVV Maastricht just ten minutes into his debut.
His final year in the Netherlands was spent with ADO Den Haag, where he netted 13 Eerste Divisie strikes for a third successive season.
In October, van der Sande pledged his allegiance to Bonaire, and made his international bow in a CONCACAF Nations League clash with Anguilla. Since, he has appeared in a further matchup with the same opponent and a tussle with Saint Martin.
The 28-year-old will have the opportunity to kickstart his Terrors career into life immediately with the visit of Luton Town tomorrow evening - grab your ticket to see our new recruit in action here!
BRINGING A DIFFERENT DYNAMIC TO OUR FRONTLINE
"Jort’s arrival is an exciting one for the club", began United Manager Jim Goodwin.
"His goalscoring record in Dutch football speaks volumes about his pedigree, having been at the top end of the second tier’s scoring charts on numerous occasions throughout the past decade.
"Linking up with teammates whilst playing with his back to goal is also a pivotal strength of his game, one which will bring a different dynamic to our frontline and have a positive impact on the versatility of the unit as a whole."
READY TO MAKE MORE HISTORY
Van der Sande himself added: "This is a big club with a rich history, and I'm ready to make some more.
"I'm a tough player who likes to be in duels with defenders, create chances for my teammates and most importantly, score goals!
"Off the pitch, I also think this will be a really good fit for me - I love the country, the accent and the people, and that made this an even more attractive proposition."
He concluded: "Tomorrow night's game is a great opportunity for me to get to know my teammates and make a great impression on the fans.
