Manchester United have excelled in the Premier League this season, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side in the driving seat to secure a top-four finish and the Champions League qualification that comes with it.
Performances from key players have been decisive, with the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford leading the way for United.
However, the most significant improvement has come from the squad as a whole, with a level of consistency from Solskjaer's regular starters that has been absent in recent seasons.
With the Norwegian boss settling on a regular line-up though, it has resulted in limited opportunities for some players - with Donny van de Beek among them.
Landing from Ajax on a five-year deal last year, with a fee totalling £40m if bonuses are met, the Netherlands international has had a frustrating debut campaign at Old Trafford.
In the Premier League, Van de Beek has started just twice, in the 3-2 victory against Southampton at the end of November and the following victory over West Ham, where he lasted just 45 minutes. Throw in 12 more appearances off the bench and it leads to an overall accumulation of 319 minutes of action.
Van de Beek has received more opportunities in cup competitions, including in the Champions League group stages, but the separation of fixtures means that the 23-year-old has not had a run of games to find some consistency.
Solskjaer has settled on a midfield pairing of Scott McTominay and Fred as his first-choice options, with the resurgence of the latter serving as encouragement for Van de Beek.
Upon his arrival at United, Fred too had difficulties in finding a rhythm at the club and was labelled as a flop but he has put that behind him - with WhoScored's average ratings having the Brazilian seventh for United, behind Fernandes, Rashford, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Paul Pogba.
The big difference, however, is that Fred, despite his initial struggles, continued to get regular opportunities in the side that have not been presented to Van de Beek.
In his debut season in England, 13 of Fred's 17 Premier League appearances were as a starter - which included two runs of four consecutive starts.
As a result, while Fred featured in just three more league matches than Van de Beek has this term, his total number of minutes was over 1000 - almost three times as many as Van de Beek this term.
The following season, in 2019/20, Fred's minutes in the Premier League doubled to over 2000 and he played in 29 matches. This term, the Brazilian is close to surpassing the same mark once again, with 24 league appearances.
Patience will certainly be key for Van de Beek in turning his spell at United around but he can't shoulder all of the responsibility, as he needs a run of games to have an opportunity to lay down a marker.
With United chasing glory in the Europa League as well as a top-four spot, chances may present themselves in the final months of the season - though matches against Liverpool, Aston Villa, Leicester City, Fulham and Wolves in May will be a stern test.
