Van Gaal says Van de Beek wrong to join Man Utd after huge derby snub

Paul Macdonald

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:47 CDT
• 3 min read

Louis van Gaal continues to believe Donny van de Beek has made the wrong choice in joining Manchester United.

Midfielder Van de Beek joined United from Ajax ahead of the 2020/21 season in a deal worth up to £40million.

The Netherlands international has not been a regular at Old Trafford, starting only two Premier League matches all season.

His stay reached a new low when he remained an unused substitute in the Manchester derby, which ended in a miserable 0-0 draw on Saturday.

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Former United boss Van Gaal is saddened by the plight of his compatriot.

He did not think there would be enough opportunities for Van de Beek due to the presence of Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba at United.

“I hope his time will come, but I don’t think he made a good choice,” Van Gaal said to Ziggo Sport.

“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, who are also at the top [level]. He is a boy with many qualities.”

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Van de Beek not used in derby

Van de Beek scored as a substitute on his debut against Crystal Palace in September but has been unable to force his way into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first-choice team since.

He has two goals for his country since the start of 2020/21, but that debut strike is his only one in United colours.

Midfielders Fernandes, Pogba, Scott McTominay and Fred all played the full 90 minutes against City.

But Van de Beek remained on the bench, with Solskjaer only making one change as Anthony Martial replaced Mason Greenwood late on.

Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez had a shot saved by David de Gea in the only big chance of the match, but Solskjaer tried to remain positive afterwards.

“The glass is always half-full with me,” the United boss said. “That’s just the way you have to look at it.

“In my time against Man City, that’s the best performance we’ve had.

“Not the best result but it is the best performance.”