Donny van de Beek made a poor decision in signing up for Manchester United, says triple Ballon d’Or winner and Dutch icon Marco van Basten.
Van de Beek joined Manchester United from Ajax over the summer in a €39m transfer despite reported interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.
The 23-year-old signed up at Old Trafford until 2025 and was the club’s sole signing for much of the transfer window until deadline day.
But while Van de Beek has featured in seven of United’s eight games in all competitions this season, he has only started twice. In fact, he only has a handful of minutes of Premier League football to his name.
Being left as an unused substitute in Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Chelsea fueled further questions over the Dutchman. Patrice Evra, for one, claimed the club don’t need him and can’t understand why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer signed him.
Now Van Basten has given his verdict by claiming Van de Beek should have waited for a club that would’ve offered him better opportunities.
“It is very bad for such a boy to only play six or seven times in a year,” the Ajax and AC Milan legend told Ziggo Sport.
“That’s terrible for your rhythm! You can earn a lot more, but you also have to see where you can play.
“Is it about a five-year contract that he can sign? No, that’s bullshit. Then you shouldn’t go to Manchester United, but wait with it or for another club.
“You have to want to play football every week, and such a club is then bad for your career.”
Solskjaer did state Van de Beek’s time will come following United’s goalless stalemate against Chelsea.
The Netherlands international will hope his big break comes against RB Leipzig on Wednesday night’s latest Champions League match.
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