Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek has been urged to consider leaving the club in January by compatriot and Dutch legend Ronald de Boer.
Speaking to Dutch publication AD, former Ajax and Barcelona star Ronald de Boer has urged fellow Dutchman Donny van de Beek to consider his future at Manchester United ahead of the European Championships in the summer.
A product of the Ajax academy, Van de Beek established himself as one of the most sought-after midfielders in Europe after enjoying a couple of brilliant seasons for the Dutch giants. Manchester United were able to clinch his signing this past summer, bringing him in for a £40 million transfer fee.
However, things haven’t exactly worked out for the Netherlands international so far at Old Trafford. Despite scoring on his debut for the club, the 23-year-old has had to carve out a place in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s starting lineup and has had to make do with minutes mainly off the bench.
Van de Beek has featured 20 times across all competitions for Manchester United, with only two of those being from the start in the Premier League. The Dutchman has been able to contribute with a goal and an assist so far.
Given that the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba, Fred and Scott McTominay are all ahead of him in the pecking order at Old Trafford, Ronald de Boer has asked the 23-year-old to consider leaving Manchester United this month, if he is to nail down a spot in the Netherlands squad for the Euros later this year.
“The European Championship is coming, he will undoubtedly want to be there. Maybe it would be good for him to discuss with the club exactly what they want with him. If the view on playing time does not improve, he may have to declare that he should be loaned or even sold,” he said.
De Boer’s statements come after fellow Dutchman and former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal slammed Van de Beek’s transfer to the club. Another prominent Dutch figure, Marco van Basten, had also criticised the 23-year-old’s summer move to the Mancunian outfit.
Despite having not provided him with ample game time this season, Solskjaer is insistent that Van de Beek remains a prominent part of his plans and has said the Dutchman’s time at the club will come soon.
With Manchester United set to face Watford in the FA Cup this weekend, the 23-year-old could be in line for a start. But, beyond that, it remains to seen if the midfielder decides to seek showdown talks with the manager over his future at the club.
