Louis van Gaal has made a claim on Donny Van de Beek deciding to join Manchester United over the summer.
Louis van Gaal feels Donny van de Beek made a wrong decision in swapping for Manchester United from Ajax earlier this year.
The Dutchman had a reputation for himself as one of the attacking engines of Ajax before he moved for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United back in September.
However, it has not gone as expected for Van de Beek.
The 23-year-old has made only two starts in the Premier League and most of his playing time has come off the bench.
Van de Beek was handed a rare start against West Ham earlier in December but was withdrawn at half-time with United trailing 1-0.
The Red Devils improved after he was taken off and won that game 3-1. Going by that, it could be some time before he is given another opportunity to show what he can do.
Van Gaal says he predicted the problems Van de Beek is facing and believes there were ‘better’ clubs his compatriot could have joined.
“I hope his time will come, but I don’t think he made a good choice,” the former United boss told Dutch television channel Ziggo. “I said that right away.
“If you have Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes, what position should Van de Beek be in?
“He doesn’t have the qualities of Pogba and Fernandes. And now you see that Pogba often doesn’t start. Where should Van de Beek play then?
“I think you could have seen that beforehand. There are so many teams, which could have done better justice to him, also in the top division. He is a boy with many qualities.”
Real Madrid and Juventus were among the sides linked to Van de Beek but the relationship between Ajax CEO Edwin Van der Sar and United tipped the odds well in their favor.