Donny van de Beek has had it tough since joining Manchester United, but he could finally be set to receive a reprieve from Erik ten Hag - just as Ralf Rangnick predicted earlier this year.
Van de Beek was, surprisingly, used sparingly by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after arriving at the club in a £35million deal from Ajax back in 2020, and the Dutchman's fortunes failed to improve after Rangnick succeeded the Norwegian on an interim basis midway through last year's Premier League campaign.
In fact, Van de Beek arguably became even more of a peripheral figure at Old Trafford during Rangnick's brief tenure and was even farmed out on loan to Everton for the second half of last season by the former United chief.
But Rangnick stressed at the time that he still believed Van de Beek could come good for Manchester United in the Premier League - a stance that has now been backed by Ten Hag, who, according to The Sun, is adamant that the 25-year-old is capable of playing a 'key role' for his new-look side this term.
Speaking back in February after Van de Beek's temporary switch to Goodison Park had been approved, Rangnick explained: "In the end, it’s a question of competition. Like Paul Pogba, I see him in the centre of midfield as one of the six or eight positions and we have quite a few other good players in those positions, therefore, he didn’t get much game-time.
"But that doesn’t mean he’s not good enough for the Premier League or Manchester United. I’m pretty sure that he will get his game time at Everton and show what kind of quality he can be."
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After starring for Ten Hag during his time at Ajax, it was believed that Van de Beek could be handed the chance to salvage his Manchester United career after the Dutchman was confirmed as the club's new manager back in April.
And although Van de Beek has so far only made two brief cameo appearances from the bench this term, Ten Hag has now made it clear that he believes the midfield maestro can force his way into the United team amid loan interest from Ajax.
Van de Beek thrived in a No.8 role in Amsterdam, where he caught United's eye after plundering 41 goals and 34 assists in just 175 games.
While he has struggled to replicate that swashbuckling form in the Premier League, that hasn't dampened Ten Hag's enthusiasm to work with the midfield maestro again. "Yes, of course," the United chief said back in May when he was asked if he was looking forward to reuniting with Van de Beek. "We had a fantastic squad in that time at Ajax. I really had a good relationship with him. Of course I am looking forward to meeting him again on the pitch."
