Van der Vaart believes a move to the Bundesliga to play for Borussia Dortmund could have helped his compatriot as he thinks Van der Beek does not fit at Old Trafford.
The Netherlands international was touted as one of the highly-rated youngsters in European football, and was on the radar of many big teams last summer.
The Red Devils won the race to sign him as they forked out a mammoth £40 million to secure the services of the 24-year-old from Ajax before the beginning of the 2020/2021 season.
Many opined that Van de Beek’s talent would have exploded from the onset in English football but that has not been the case yet.
Van de Beek only played 511 minutes in the Premier League which is spread across 19 games, scoring only one goal and provided one assist.
“He fits perfectly into the Ajax system, but he doesn’t fit at Manchester United,” Van der Vaart, who spent two years in the Premier League with Tottenham, told of Van de Beek, talking to ESPN.
“If nobody leaves United [this summer], he will be lucky to get in the starting line-up. He is far too good to sit on the bench for two seasons. He needs minutes very quickly. He is still young, but time flies.
“A club like Borussia Dortmund would have been a better step for him. Manchester United might be a step too far for him.”
