Manchester United flop Donny van de Beek has been warned he has six months to turn things around at Old Trafford or accept his fate.
Ex-United defender Mikael Silvestre has made the bold claim that if the Dutchman can't finally turn the tide and revive his flatlining Red Devils career, then he should call time on his efforts and test himself elsewhere. Erik ten Hag's side have already enjoyed one competitive fixture since the players returned from the World Cup, but there was no place in the side for Van de Beek during the 2-0 win over Burnley.
The fact that the midfielder failed to make the side for a home Carabao Cup clash against Championship opposition should ring alarm bells when it comes to his long-term prospects as a United player.
Instead, the former Ajax star was left on the bench for the entirety of the contest. It was a damning indictment of how far the Netherlands international's stock has fallen since arriving at Old Trafford in the summer of 2020 for a fee of around £40million.
A mixture of injuries and poor form has meant Van de Beek has featured just three times so far this term, which comes as a surprise considering Ten Hag was tipped to be the manager that would get the best out of him after their shared time in Amsterdam.
Silvestre has explained that if Van de Beek's minutes don't start to improve soon, he has to leave the club for the sake of his own career.
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"We haven’t seen a change for Donny van de Beek unfortunately,’ Silvestre told bettingexpert. "He hasn’t had a lot of opportunities to start.
"We haven’t seen the player he was at Ajax. If it’s not within the next five-six months, till the end of the season, then there should be a change.
"Yes there are a lot of games to come so there will be a need for fresh players. We expect him to come from the bench and grab the opportunities. It’s hard when you don’t have a run of games. Let’s wait and see for Donny van de Beek."
An Old Trafford exit may not be a simple process, with the midfielder still boasting two-and-a-half years left to run on his current United deal.
There is every chance the Red Devils wish to recoup a sizeable fee despite Van de Beek's struggles, meaning United are going to have to try and find a willing buyer.
Factoring in how poorly the 25-year-old fared while on loan at Everton during the latter half of last season and sourcing more suitors could be quite the task for a United side reluctant to use Van de Beek themselves.
