Following a highly successful 2019/20 season at Ajax, scoring 10 goals and claiming 11 assists in all competitions, Manchester United's decision to part with an initial fee of £35million in exchange for Donny van de Beek seemed like a good one.
At just 23 at the time, the Dutchman was considered an up-and-coming talent with a point to prove on the biggest stage.
Capable of doing a little bit of everything in midfield — not least the ability to break the lines and offer a helping hand in the final third — Van de Beek was displaying all of the hallmarks of a modern-day midfielder.
It was a signing to excite the supporters and the forecast suggested that the only was was up for the Dutchman, not the least in the eyes of Van de Beek himself.
Speaking for the first time as a United player in September 2020, he said: "I am now ready to take the next step in my career and perform at the highest level and there is no higher standard than Manchester United.
"Everyone has told me how amazing the Old Trafford atmosphere is and I am looking forward to experiencing that, once it is safe for the fans to return. This team has some of the best midfielders in the world and I know that I can learn from them and also bring my own strengths to the group.
"Having spoken to the manager [Ole Gunnar Solskjaer] about his vision for this team, the direction that the club is going in is hugely exciting and I cannot wait to be a part of that."
Van de Beek's last nine words there did not prove prophetic. He's never really had the chance to stamp his mark on the club's midfield.
He has been restricted to just 50 appearances in all competitions since his arrival at the club, not started a Premier League game since the final day of last season, which, in truth, was a dead-rubber contest with Wolves, and he has been overlooked on countless occasions by two managers.
To say that Van de Beek's United dream has translated into a nightmare would be an understatement. Nobody could have possibly predicted how badly his time at Old Trafford has proven to be, especially when you take into account that he racked up 50 direct goal contributions in his last two seasons as an Ajax player.
He had earned his move to United and you could sense, even from his maiden interview at the club, that he had a passion to succeed and make a name for himself at the club.
However, the move has not worked out, leaving Van de Beek facing a fear of the unknown as the January transfer deadline creeps closer. Crystal Palace are keen on taking him on loan for the remainder of the season, in a bid to offer him the first-team football he desperately craves, but it remains to be seen if it will get over the line, with United still reluctant to let go of him due to a lack of strength in depth in midfield.
But while United may have reservations about allowing Van de Beek to temporarily halt his Old Trafford nightmare, they must take into account how upset he feels right now.
United and Solskjaer informed Van de Beek at the time of his arrival, it seemed, that he would be a key part of the operation moving forward. That promise has barely got off the ground, and it is not likely to change now.
Van de Beek relished the prospect of making a name for himself inside one of football's greatest cathedrals and United, who signed him with the plan of him improving the team, have not given him a fair crack at the whip, not by any stretch.
To deny him the chance to move out on loan for a second time would be unfair and unjust, given the lack of opportunities they have presented to him to fulfil his dream, develop and prove his worth.
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