Rio Ferdinand was critical of Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek for “not taking his chance” in the club’s 3-1 defeat against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Van de Beek was awarded his second consecutive start in the defeat at Villa Park, with the Netherlands international having also started against Real Sociedad in San Sebastian on Thursday.
The 25-year-old had been a star of Erik ten Hag’s Ajax side and signed for the Red Devils in 2020 for a reported £35million plus £5million in add-ons. However, he has since struggled for game time and form.
In the absence of Old Trafford talisman Bruno Fernandes through suspension, van de Beek was handed the reins to the number 10 position but failed to make his mark on the game.
Made “no impact”
Man Utd legend Ferdinand was critical of van de Beek’s performance on his Youtube channel.
Advert
Despite the Netherlands star making only his fifth Premier League start across three seasons at Old Trafford, Ferdinand believed the midfielder could have performed better.
The former Man Utd centre-back said: “The manager knows him, the manager knows what he has got hidden under his bonnet, what he is capable of.
“He has not come anywhere near doing that while he’s been at Manchester United or in England for that matter. He hasn’t.
“You get him in and around the box this guy can finish. The problem with the way he’s being deployed at Man United is he doesn’t get in the box, he doesn’t get the opportunities to get in there to show the best parts of his game.
“He just hasn’t been able to find rhythm, momentum, or form, in a Man United shirt. The performance we saw wasn’t anything different to what we’ve seen at United, no impact.”
The defence of Donny
While many believe that it may be time for Man Utd to cut their losses and sell the van de Beek, Ferdinand did express sympathy for the Dutchman given his lack of opportunities.
The 44-year-old said: “I think you’ve got to give players a chance. He’s [Ten Hag] got to work out who he wants to keep in his squad.
“He’s got to find out about these players, so if this week was the week to do it then so be it. We got beat but I don’t think the result is all down to Donny van de Beek.
“But as we all know this is a cutthroat game. You’ve got to take your chances with both hands when they come cause you’re not going to get loads and unfortunately this week he didn’t take his chance. Now it’s up to the manager when he gets other chances.”
Topics: Donny van de Beek, Rio Ferdinand, Football, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Premier League
Chris Byfield