Donny van de Beek's former agent has criticised Manchester United and Paul Pogba in an extraordinary interview.
Van de Beek, 25, signed for United for £35million from Ajax in the summer of 2020 and he arrived at Old Trafford with a large reputation, which was established after he helped his side reach the semi-finals of the 2018/19 Champions League.
Although Ole Gunnar Solskjaer brought Van de Beek to the club, he provided the midfielder with limited opportunities during his time in charge and Van de Beek eventually joined Everton on loan in January last season in search of regular first-team minutes.
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Van de Beek wanted to leave United on loan last summer, but he was given assurances over game time and they weren't kept by Solskjaer. The player then parted ways with his agent Guido Albers in October in a bid to organise a January move.
Although the Dutchman got his wish when joining Everton in January, that spell at Goodison Park was underwhelming and he's since returned to Manchester. Van de Beek has played just 19 minutes this season and he remains a peripheral squad figure.
Now Albers has opened up about his former client's experience at United.
“For me, I put my heart and soul into it,” Albers told Voetbal Primeur. "But after a disappointment, they get on the next train. Then when I ask to explain what I might not have done right, nothing comes. That’s a shame, though.
“I didn’t see it coming. I saw the disappointment about the way he was treated by Manchester United, and he saw up close what I did to turn the situation around. But from the day he was not allowed to leave Manchester United again, it was final.
“In the Netherlands, Donny got all the appreciation, performed well and was super popular with the fans. At Manchester United, he then never played. The relationship between him and the club really cooled down badly.
“He had to compete against Paul Pogba, who reported late to the training camp, said sorry and was allowed to play again – in the place of a boy who was training 10 hours a day for eight weeks to show he was good enough.
"I then had that disappointment thrown at me. I underestimated what not playing anymore did to him mentally. I should have looked earlier: how can I help him?”
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