Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has accused his old club of spending money just to keep fans happy.
Berbatov, who enjoyed a fruitful four-year stay at Old Trafford where he netted 48 goals in 108 Premier League appearances, was speaking in the wake of United's disappointing 2-1 defeat to Young Boys in the Champions League earlier this week.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 's side threw away a 1-0 lead following the first half dismissal of Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
As a result of the full-back's dismissal, Solskjaer elected to sacrifice van de Beek to enable a tactical reshuffle, although it failed to pay dividends.
It's left Berbatov convinced that van de Beek's United career is doomed - and claims the club only forked out £35million on the Dutchman to "satisfy" the fans.
"United midfielder Donny van de Beek is running out of time to save his United career," said Berbatov speaking to Betfair.
"He started against Young Boys but was substituted at half-time. This has been the story of his time at the club. If he plays, he's brought off. If he comes on, he gets 10 minutes. He never gets the chance to settle and show what he can do.
"It's just not working out for Van de Beek. It's a pity because United paid big money for him. But this is what happens when you spend money just to satisfy your fans.
Is it too early for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's job to be under threat? Comment below.
"I still hope he gets a proper chance but it is going to be very difficult for him and the club may decide to cut their losses, if they can."
Van de Beek made just his 16th start in all competitions since his 2020 switch to Manchester.
The former Ajax ace reportedly impressed Solskjaer in training over the summer.
But circumstances meant that his rare opportunity to impress in Switzerland was virtually non-existent.
After kicking off their Champions League campaign with a defeat, Solskjaer has now lost seven of his 11 matches in Europe's elite competition.
That has ramped up the pressure on the Norwegian, who is dealing with high expectations this year following summer deals for Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane.
But Berbatov has rubbished any talk of Solskjaer's job being at risk so early in the season.
"That record is not good enough. I get that but sometimes there is more to football than the statistics show," added Berbatov.
"Is Solskjaer’s job at risk after the defeat in Switzerland? Come on, you can’t be serious.
"United have played four games in the Premier League and won three of them. One defeat in the Champions League does not put Ole’s job in jeopardy.
"I don’t see any point in discussing Solskjaer’s future so early in the season.
"United have a strong squad, have made excellent signings who are bedding in, and we should judge them at the end of the group stage, not after one match."
