Erik ten Hag referred to Donny van de Beek being ostracised at Manchester United as a "mortal sin" - suggesting the Dutchman may have a role under him should he replace Ralf Rangnick at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils have reportedly made the decision to move Ajax boss Ten Hag ahead of Mauricio Pochettino on the manager wishlist, making him the favourite for the United job next season.
His impressive defensive record in the Netherlands has caught the eye, but for now, he remains in the frame alongside the current Paris Saint-Germain boss, Luis Enrique and Julen Lopetegui.
Man United signed Van de Beek from Ajax back in 2020, parting with a cool £35million in the process.
But Van de Beek has found game time incredibly difficult to come by under both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and now Rangnick, with reports he is looking to leave this January for opportunities elsewhere.
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It is unclear whether United are willing to cut all ties with the Dutchman at this point.
And Van de Beek may have second thoughts now that fellow countryman Ten Hag could replace Rangnick at the end of the season.
Ten Hag is clearly a fan of the midfielder and believes he deserves a chance to show Manchester what he can do.
Ten Hag, speaking last month, told de Volkskrant: "Donny, I find that hard. [It's a] mortal sin.
"If you haven't had a chance yet, then development will also stall. Every now and then you encourage them."
Despite Van de Beek struggling for game time at Manchester United, he is said to have proved himself a model professional on the training ground.
Rio Ferdinand recently touched on this while discussing Van de Beek and the situation at United on his Presents FIVE YouTube channel: "There are types of players in these situations.
"A player like a Donny van de Beek, who is conducting himself very well from what I hear from people on the inside, who just isn't getting game time. You're happy for those guys to go and find time to play."
Rangnick confirmed Ferdinand's comments were accurate in the press, adding: "He's always performing at a high level in training.
"With the World Cup coming up in the winter, he wants to play for his country. I can understand his wish and desire to play. On the other hand, we have a lot of competition in our squad exactly in those positions."
