La Liga club have Man Utd outcast ‘in their sights’, former Aston Villa boss warns Erik ten Hag

Villarreal are reportedly ready to offer Donny van de Beek an opportunity to bring a permanent end to his time at Manchester United.

Spanish outlet Fichajes have claimed the La Liga outfit are considering a January move for the former Ajax midfielder and could hand him an opportunity to end what has been a frustrating spell at Old Trafford.

Van de Beek has made 60 appearances in all competitions since joining United in the summer of 2020 but has not appeared since he started in a 3-0 home win against Bournemouth in January as a knee injury cut short his season.

The 19-times capped Netherlands international was an unused substitute in Saturday’s win at Burnley and remains under contract until the summer of 2025. But the report in Spain suggests the midfielder is ‘in Villarreal’s sights’ and his lack of involvement with United could ‘open the door’ to his possible departure when the January window opens for business.

Erik ten Hag warned by former Aston Villa manager

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood believes Erik ten Hag can not drop young midfielder Hannibal Mejbri after his impressive display in Saturday’s win at Burnley.

The 26-times capped Tunisia international was handed his first start of the season at Turf Moor and repaid Ten Hag’s faith with a hardworking display against Vincent Kompany’s side. It was a Bruno Fernandes goal that settled the contest after the Portugal star volleyed home a fine pass from Jonny Evans - but Sherwood has insisted it is the performance of Mejbri that deserves credit as he revealed his admiration for the youngster’s display.

He told Premier League Productions: “A real positive from the performance when I look at the individual performances for Man Utd Hannibal I thought was good.

“He was brave, I thought he looked for the ball wherever he was. Out of possession he looked like he was going with urgency wherever he was to go and get it back.

“I think he had a great game and he can only get better, I just hope he stays in the team. He earned the right rather than one of the superstars coming back and getting in ahead of him, which is not good for team morale and team spirit.”