Former Manchester United vice-captain, Patrice Evra, has urged midfielder Donny van de Beek to leave Old Trafford and ‘go somewhere he feels loved’.
Evra said that Van de Beek reminds him of former Manchester United midfielder, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who now plays for Inter Milan, adding that the player is losing his time.
According to the Frenchman, Van de Beek is a very good player, but people don’t respect him.
Van de Beek has struggled at Man United since his £40million move from Ajax in the summer of 2020.
The Netherlands international had spent five productive years in the Ajax first-team, making 175 appearances for the Dutch giants and helping them win the Eredivisie and reach the Champions League semi-finals.
But he has barely featured for Man United and was sent on loan to Premier League rivals Everton in the second half of last season.
The 25-year-old made his first Premier League start of the season on Sunday against Aston Villa but was widely criticised for his display as Erik ten Hag’s side suffered a shock 3-1 defeat at Villa Park.
“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.
“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.
“I don’t think Van de Beek has that quality. Ten Hag knows him, but I don’t think this will change anything. Only van de Beek can change things, and the way he can do that is by going.”
