Former Red Patrice Evra has urged Manchester United’s Donny van de Beek to find a new club.
The Dutchman has failed to make an impact since signing for United in 2020.
Former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer signed Van de Beek but only ever utilised him as an off-the-bench option in matches and the midfielder played little to no minutes during Solskjaer’s reign, as well as Ralf Rangnick, who completed a short spell as interim manager following the Norwegian’s sacking.
When Erik ten Hag was appointed, supporters expected Van de Beek to play on a regular basis, as the two worked together during their time at Ajax. If any manager is able to get the best out of the 25-year-old, it would be the one who monitored his progress and development from when he was a young player bursting onto the scene.
However, Van de Beek’s chances have been sparse this season and a lengthy injury played a part. He featured off the bench in the first two matches of the season, in which United oversaw 2-1 and 4-0 losses.
He was named in the starting eleven when United took on Real Sociedad in their final Europa League group stage game last week, which marked his first start for the club since December 8, 2021.
Ten Hag then named him as a starter the following match, due to Bruno Fernandes’ one-game suspension, and the Reds suffered a 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa. Many supporters saw the performances as two wasted opportunities for Van de Beek to make an impact, and it’s unlikely he will be awarded a start anytime soon.
His omission from United’s squads has also resulted in Van de Beek being dropped from the Netherlands national team.
Evra wants Van de Beek to find a suitable club
Speaking to Betfair, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News, the former United captain said: “When we bought Donny van de Beek, I was the first one that asked why we had bought another midfielder when we didn’t need one, we needed a defender at the time. Everybody jumped on me saying I hate Van de Beek. I have nothing against him. I saw him after the Tottenham game with his family and I love him.
“My advice to him is that he needs to go somewhere where he feels loved. The problem in England, not just Manchester, is that people don’t respect him. He’s a very good player.
“He reminds me of [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan and [Alexis] Sanchez, when they struggled at United. When these things happen, you have to go.
“He’s losing his time. He’s getting injured, he’s not playing enough and when he plays all the pressure is on him. I don’t think he can deal well with the pressure. Go to where you feel loved is my advice.
“We can talk about his performance, and I can say he missed his chance, but how many times has he missed his chance? I just care about the player now, not the club or him playing in England at this point.”
