Van de Beek told to leave Man Utd as he's "too good" for Old Trafford treatment

Former Tottenham star Rafael van der Vaart has urged his Dutch compatriot Donny van de Beek to leave Manchester United this summer in pursuit of regular first-team football.

Big things were expected of the midfielder when he joined the Red Devils in a £40m deal last summer.

But he suffered a hugely frustrating first season at the club, and managed just four Premier League starts throughout the whole campaign.

Nevertheless, he has still been included in the Netherlands squad for Euro 2020, and was an unused substitute for their 2-2 draw against Scotland on Wednesday.

Speaking to ESPN Van der Vaart expressed his sadness at the way things have turned out for Van de Beek at Old Trafford, and believes his playing time is not likely to improve unless somebody in his position leaves in the near future.

"He fit perfectly into the Ajax system, but he doesn't fit at Manchester United," Van der Vaart said.

"If nobody leaves United [this summer], he will be lucky to get in the starting line-up.

"He is far too good to sit on the bench for two seasons. He needs minutes very quickly. He is still young, but time flies.

"A club like Borussia Dortmund would have been a better step for him. Manchester United might be a step too far for him."

There has been speculation that Van de Beek is set for showdown talks with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer soon as they attempt to find a solution that works best for all parties.

While Van de Vaart appears supportive of the 24-year-old, Van de Beek was not talked about so kindly by another former Netherlands international in Marco van Basten.

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The forward legend accused him of leaving Ajax with a "big boy" attitude last year, and said he made a huge mistake in leaving so early.

Speaking in an interview with Ziggo Sport, Van Basten said: "It just shows what a great life they have when they play at Ajax.

"They all think very quickly that they are a big boy here and can make it in other countries, but in the Netherlands, there is a nice competition.

"In a team like Ajax you are really helped, especially in the number 10 position. Then you often see that they go abroad and it is a different story.

"You have to be able to take care of yourself. If you go to a club in another country, you have to be able to present yourself in that team in a way that the others will think: he is one of us and with him we are going to win."