Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has suggested Donny van de Beek could continue to play a bit-part role for Manchester United this season - and still be an important player.
Expectations were high when United signed the 23-year-old midfielder from Ajax this summer in a deal worth around £40million.
But Van De Beek has started more matches for Holland than United since making the switch, having been restricted to five appearances off the bench and just two starting roles in the Carabao Cup.
And Solskjaer's reluctance to hand the midfielder regular football has earned him criticism, with several high-profile names questioning the decision to sign him.
However Solskjaer has used his own spell on the bench at United as an example, having won six Premier League titles and the Champions League during his time at Old Trafford.
He said: "I would be disappointed if some of my team-mates said that I wasn't important at Man United but I didn't start many games, so Donny's going to be very, very important for us, don't worry about that."
Dutch great Marco Van Basten is among those to have questioned Van De Beek's decision to move to the north west following his inauspicious start, but Solskjaer says his time will come soon enough.
He added: "When players come into a new league, a new team, it's always going to be a time of (transition).
"When Donny has played, he's played really well. I think it says a lot about our depth of quality in the squad that we don't have to use him every single game because we have other players as well.
"I also think it says everything about our ambitions, we want to go and push on, we want to go and challenge for trophies this season.
"Donny is going to play a big, big part this year. At the moment, I realise the topic is Donny Van De Beek and it's nice for some players or commentators to have a little go.
"I know that you're short for time when you're on telly and you have to put your points across very quickly, but you have to know that you don't have to start the first three games to be a very important player in the squad."
United certainly have strength in depth in midfield now, with Van De Beek joined on the bench by Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic in the three matches since the international break.
Solskjaer has preferred Bruno Fernandes, Fred and Scott McTominay as starters, but the latter is certain Van De Beek will make his mark on the side soon enough.
"You can see the way Donny comes to training every day, a big smile on his face, wanting to work hard, wanting to really impress everybody," homegrown midfielder McTominay said.
"As the manager said, I'm so confident Donny will be such an important figure in this team and throughout the whole season.
"The way he's come in has lifted everyone else along with Alex (Telles), Edinson (Cavani), big signings like that who are top quality players can really lift the dressing room.
"I feel like we've seen that already with the way Alex played in Paris and obviously Donny coming off the bench and showing what ability he has got.
"I feel like there's no time to panic for Donny. People can be so quick to come to an assumption that he's not playing and things like that.
"Give him time, let him adapt to the league, let him settle into his new house or wherever he is living and really let him concentrate on his season."
