Dutch soccer legend Van Basten has come down heavily on Van der Beck's agent for playing the role of a poor advisor in the decision-making process of his move to Manchester United during a recent appearance on his show. Van Basten pointed out that van der Beck's excessive transfer span from Ajax to United directly contributed to the plight of the talented midfielder who has been virtually ball-less for the past two years.
Van der Beck joined Manchester United in September 2020 for a whopping £39 million, however, the years at Old Trafford were not as glorious as expected. He failed to establish himself at United and instead struggled frequently, even being loaned out to Everton and Eintracht Frankfurt, before finally joining Girona for a bargain transfer fee this summer. Van Basten said bluntly that if the agent could have made a wiser choice at the time and sent Van der Beck to a club more suitable for his development, perhaps the Dutch midfielder's career trajectory would have been very different.
Van Basten's criticism is not an empty one. During his time at United, van der Beck has rarely made an appearance, and even during his loan spell, he failed to get consistent game time. After joining Girona this season, van der Beck has also only had one substitute appearance, and delivered an assist in that game, but it clearly wasn't enough to make up for his loss over the past two years.
Former Dutch national team manager Frank de Boer also expressed his sympathy and disbelief at what happened to van der Beck. He believes that it is extremely ridiculous and unbelievable that such a talented player should have two years of almost no football. De Boer emphasized that when choosing a club, a player must take into account his actual situation and development needs, and that joining a club that suits him is far more important than pursuing the aura of the giants.
