Former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal believes Donny van de Beek made a mistake by joining the Red Devils in the summer.

The Dutch midfielder signed for the Red Devils for £40m in a summer move from Ajax, but has struggled to get regular game time since joining.

Van de Beek was an unused substitute during the Manchester Derby which finished goalless, with Anthony Martial the only player to come off the bench for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.

Van Gaal, who managed United for two seasons, has stated that his compatriot would have been better off moving to another European top club.

He told Dutch channel Ziggo, as reported by Football Oranje: 'I hope his time will come, but I don't think he made a good choice.

'I said that right away. If you have Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes, what position should Van de Beek be in?

'He doesn't have the qualities of Pogba and Fernandes. And now you see that Pogba often doesn't start. Where should Van de Beek play then?

'I think you could have seen that beforehand. There are so many teams, which could have done better justice to him, also in the top. He is a boy with many qualities.'

It's been a tough start to life at Old Trafford for the 23-year-old, who was an integral part of Ajax's success over the past couple of seasons, helping them reach the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2019.

And despite impressing when he has featured, he still has only two Premier League starts to his name under Solskjaer.

With Bruno Fernandes the ever-present, van de Beek has found himself behind Pogba, Fred and Scott McTominay in the pecking order.

The Dutchman has said he is happy with life at the club, but will be hoping to get more regular game time in the near future.