Former Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has offered a warning to his Dutch compatriot Donny van de Beek ahead of the Ajax midfielder’s switch to Old Trafford.
Van de Beek will be the next Dutch International to play for Manchester United.
Van Persie made the move as a 29-year-old and he played a key role in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last title win in 2012-13. The former striker made his breakthrough at Arsenal, having joined Arsene Wenger as a youngster but it was there he revealed himself as one of football’s elite.
“Donny van de Beek is 23 years old and that is a nice age to make a transfer to the Premier League,” Van Persie told De Telegraaf.
“I was a bit younger when I went to Arsenal, and in the locker room, I was considered a player for the future.
“Winning the UEFA Cup with Feyenoord meant nothing. The Premier League is a completely different world.
“Donny will be brought in as a major purchase from Manchester United, but he will discover that those other 22 players have also been brought in as a ‘major purchase’. One had an even bigger transfer than the other.
“It means that he has to stand there right away and he has to mentally adjust to that. Because Manchester United is in every way a beast of a club.”
It’s a signing that will excite fans and one that will give United more creative options in the middle of the pitch. Van de Beek will be a solid upgrade on the likes of Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard and Andreas Pereira — and he’d start in all if not most Premier League teams.
And when you consider the money Aston Villa would have wanted for Jack Grealish, I think United have done great business to get Van de Beek at probably half the price. This is a Netherlands international we’re talking about… Grealish has only been called up to the England senior squad for the first time.
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