Manchester United legend Patrice Evra has advised Donny van de Beek to seal a transfer away from Old Trafford as he appears to be struggling with the pressure at his current club.
The Netherlands international looked an exciting signing when he first joined Man Utd from Ajax a few years ago, but he just hasn’t got going in his time in the Premier League.
Van de Beek initially struggled for playing time under former Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but he’s also struggled under subsequent managerial appointments, and during a spell out on loan at Everton.
Evra now seems to have given up on Van de Beek being a success at United, and believes he needs to get away from the club and find somewhere where he feels more loved and more free to play without pressure.
“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,” Evra told Betfair, as quoted by the Metro.
“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.
“I remember early on when he first signed, I heard people comparing him to Paul Pogba. Come on, guys, let’s be honest, he had only just come to the Premier League.
“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 Mkhitaryan and 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.
“I think he came to the Premier League too early. Sometimes football isn’t about playing at the highest level, but sometimes football is about playing at a club where you can perform and when you can play to your full capacity with no pressure. That’s what he had at Ajax.
“He needs to think about his family and the people that love him because I don’t think he’s happy and I don’t want any player to be unhappy. I think it’s time for him go, because he’ll be miserable if he stays in England.”
It’s certainly surprising that Van de Beek hasn’t been able to improve under Erik ten Hag, having enjoyed some of the best form of his career when they were together at Ajax.