Gary Neville makes transfer claim involving Van de Beek

After continuous struggles for game time at United, Gary Neville has a transfer theory involving Donny Van de Beek and teammate Paul Pogba.

Manchester United legend Gary Neville is of the belief that Manchester United signed Van de Beek is a ‘replacement’ for Paul Pogba.

The Dutchman joined the Red Devils with so much promise after building a reputation while at Ajax.

Halfway across the season, Van de Beek has barely played regular football under Ole Solskjaer.

He has started only twice in the Premier League, amassing only 305 minutes across 10 games.

Elsewhere, the future of Paul Pogba at the club continues to be uncertain. There are several claims the Frenchman could leave the club at the end of the season.

With that in mind, Gary Neville is left to think that Van de Beek was only signed as a player to feature when Pogba leaves the club.

“It’s interesting, something’s happened – the Van de Beek signing’s an interesting one – I still can’t get my head around it,” Neville told Sky Sports.

“It’s almost as if that signing was sort of done in anticipation of one of the others leaving because Van de Beek has just sat on the bench for the last few months and he cost £40m. I think that Manchester United are preparing for someone leaving.”

“Nemanja Matic might be finishing at the end of next season, maybe, maybe Pogba could leave.”

“So they’ve already got Van de Beek in to maybe assume that role, but I think now, the way Paul Pogba’s playing and the way Manchester United’s season is going, there’s no one who’s going to come in in January and buy Paul Pogba, I don’t think Manchester United would let him go.”

Another Manchester United legend in Dimitar Berbatov believes Van de Beek could seek an exit from the club in the coming months.