Berbatov urges Van de Beek to seek Man Utd exit to get more playing time

Donny van de Beek has been advised to look for a route out of Manchester United by Dimitar Berbatov.

The Dutch midfielder is yet to play a minute of Premier League football this season and made only four starts in the top flight last season following a £35million move from Ajax.

The Dutchman's continued absence from the team despite having barely any injury problems has long baffled United fans and Berbatov also admitted he was confused over how he has played so little for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.

And he does not see the situation improving for the 24-year-old, who could lose his place in the Dutch national side unless he starts playing regular football, with the next World Cup little more than a year away.

‘I don’t think we’re going to see any more playing time from Donny van de Beek,' Berbatov, who spent four years at Old Trafford, said in his column for Betfair.

‘It’s a really strange, disappointing and surprising situation. They spent around £35 million on him and, to pay that for a player who isn’t starting many games, doesn’t make sense.

‘I think if he’s not happy, Van de Beek should push to leave. His place in the national team is at risk, especially now with Louis van Gaal in charge. Van Gaal is a disciplinarian who like his players to play football.'

Van de Beek was part of Ajax's latest golden generation of players which took Europe by storm two years ago, winning a clean sweep of trophies in the Netherlands and reaching the Champions League semi-finals, knocking out Real Madrid and Juventus on the way to their agonising, last-minute elimination to Tottenham.

Real Madrid were among the clubs to show interest in Van de Beek before United landed him and Berbatov has been frustrated to not see the player be given more of a chance to shine.

‘I’m not blaming the player at all, but for me it’s one of the most disappointing transfers ever,' he added.

‘He has got a lot of quality. I don’t like it when clubs buy for the sake of buying and this is one of those situations. I’m sure he’s banging on the manager’s door and asking questions.'

‘Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes are untouchable in the United midfield at the moment. Scott McTominay, Fred and even 33-year-old Nemanja Matic are ahead of van de Beek.

Berbatov had a trophy-laden spell with United after joining from Tottenham in 2008 but drifted out of the team in his last two seasons.

He then switched to Fulham before heading to PAOK Salonika and has dark memories of his time in Greece, which means he can empathise with the midfielder.

‘I know how Van de Beek feels,' Berbatov said.

'In the late stage of my career I was playing in Greece, the president wanted me and signed me, but the coach didn’t want me and we had some issues.

'It is frustrating for a player. He needs to have a long hard think about his situation and what he wants.’