"He needs to go somewhere" - Patrice Evra tells Manchester United star to leave Old Trafford

Manchester United legend Patrice Evra has urged Donny van de Beek to depart the Red Devils for the sake of his professional career.

Van de Beek, 25, has failed to make a mark at Old Trafford since arriving from Ajax for an initial fee of £35 million in the summer of 2020.

A right-footed box-to-box midfielder, Van de Beek was sent out on loan to Everton in January this year. After scoring one goal in seven matches for the Toffees, he returned to the Red Devils earlier this summer and has failed to impress his new boss Erik ten Hag since then.

Speaking to Betfair (via Mirror), Evra shared his thoughts on Van de Beek's dreary two-and-a-half-year spell at Manchester United. He said:

"When we bought Donny van de Beek, I was the first one that asked why we had bought another midfielder when we didn't need one. We needed a defender at the time. Everybody jumped on me saying I hate Van de Beek. I have nothing against him. I saw him after the Tottenham game with his family and I love him."

Evra, who helped the Red Devils lift five Premier League titles, claimed that the Netherlands international should secure a transfer. He said:

"I remember when he first signed, I heard people comparing him to Paul Pogba. Let's be honest, he had only just come to the Premier League. My advice to him is that he needs to go somewhere where he feels loved. The problem in England, not just Manchester, is that people don't respect him. He's a very good player."

Evra also compared Van de Beek to Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alexis Sanchez, who also suffered a similar fate as the midfielder. He added:

"He reminds me of Mkhitaryan and Sanchez when they struggled at United. When these things happen, you have to go. He's losing his time. He's getting injured, he's not playing enough and when he plays all the pressure is on him. I don't think he can deal well with the pressure. Go to where you feel loved."

Overall, Van de Beek has netted two goals and contributed two assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for Manchester United.

Manchester United set to be in transfer race to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder

As per Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg, Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has identified Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham as the club's top priority next summer. The midfielder is valued at around £130 million — a potential Premier League record fee.

Bellingham, who has a contract until June 2025 at Signal Iduna Park, has opened the ongoing 2022-23 season in explosive form. He has netted nine goals and laid out two assists in 21 matches so far.

A complete midfielder blessed with passing and dribbling, Bellingham has been speculated to depart Edin Terzic's side next summer for quite a while. The 19-year-old has also recently popped up on the radar of the likes of Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea.