Donny van de Beek endured a "really painful" season at Manchester United in 2020-21 admits the Dutch midfielder's agent, who admits there are no guarantees the current campaign will be any better for the 24-year-old.
Eyebrows were raised when the Red Devils raided Ajax for another creative talent last summer, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer already boasting plenty of alternative options in his squad.
Van de Beek has found it difficult to make an impact at Old Trafford, leading to regular rounds of exit talk.
What has been said?
Van de Beek's representative, Guido Albers, told talkSPORT: "Donny is happy with the fact the club has so much trust in him, but last season was really painful because he didn’t play much. He was ready for this. It’s about choices and timing, you have to accept. He signed a six-year contract, but he wants to play.
"In the last few weeks he showed he is ready for the new season and he showed what the club likes to see. So we will see in the next few months whether the club will use him or not.
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"Hopefully they will use him, if not we have to find other solutions, but I don’t think it is necessary.
"In the next months, it will be clearer that Donny can be a really good Man United player and please the fans who are supporting him all the time. He will succeed."
Will Van de Beek get game time?
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Albers has admitted a push for the exits was made during the summer transfer window, with interest shown but no deal done.
Van de Beek, who made just four Premier League starts last season and is yet to see a single minute of action in the current campaign, has no guarantees when it comes to game time in 2021-22.
Albers said: "Coaches will never do this. So no, he won’t get guarantees and I think that’s fair. Coaches have to do their jobs and players have to do their job.
"In the end, if you get the chance and you get the minutes, you are in shape and you play well, you are responsible for your own career. He is not looking for guarantees. He is working hard every day and if he gets his chance he will go for it."
He added on the approach Van de Beek must take: "He is patient. He is a good guy. The problem is the environment is not patient anymore. People who write about him don’t know the story, they all write their own story. That’s 2021.
"At the end he wants to play, but he has to accept that he will have to be more patient than he was willing to be.
"He’s not the type of guy who does crazy things and changes his mentality. I think everybody will enjoy his qualities in the next months."
United, with Cristiano Ronaldo in line to make his second debut for the club, will return to domestic action on Saturday September 11 at home to Newcastle.