Van Basten: Van de Beek should've 'waited for better prospects' than United

Dutch great Marco van Basten has questioned Donny van de Beek's decision to join Manchester United.

Van de Beek was an unused substitute for Saturday's 0-0 bore draw with Chelsea and has made only four Premier League appearances off the bench thus far. The 23-year-old moved to United from his boyhood club Ajax for around £40 million in August but is yet to truly challenge Bruno Fernandes and other attack-minded midfielders for minutes in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.

"Donny shouldn't have gone to United," Van Basten declared on Dutch TV channel Ziggo Sport, as reported by Reuters. "When you’re a good player you want to play every week.

"I know he's earning loads more than he used to. But as a top player you have to be critical and look at the chances of playing when you sign for a new club. Donny should have waited for better prospects and signed for another club."

"Is it about a five-year contract that he can sign? No, that's bullshit," Van Basten continued, according to ESPN. "Then you shouldn't go to Manchester United, but wait ... for another club. You have to want to play football every week, and such a club is then bad for your career."

Solskjaer insisted after last week's 4-1 win over Newcastle United that Van de Beek would get game time and attributed the Dutch international's peripheral role to him "finding the balance in the team."

Van de Beek has currently played fewer Premier League minutes than Timothy Fosu-Mensah and has only featured more than United's backup forwards, Edinson Cavani and Odion Ighalo. His lack of involvement led ex-Manchester United stars Gary Neville and Patrice Evra to question his signing during the Sky Sport broadcast for Chelsea's visit, with the latter asking: "Nothing against the kid, but why have we bought him? He's watching from the stand every game."