When Donny van de Beek first settled in Manchester during the Covid-19 pandemic, he was holed up in a house owned by United that was quickly dubbed 'Covid Towers'.
Like Rapunzel, Van de Beek's talent is perhaps trapped in that tower. A reunion with Erik ten Hag nor an undeserved three-match run in November have jolted Van de Beek, his form in Ajax's captivating Champions League semi-finalists as distant as it is moot.
Van de Beek is not necessarily second in the pecking order for the No.10 behind the tireless Bruno Fernandes, either. Mason Mount is proven that role and has cut it in the Premier League.
Van de Beek didn't for Everton, never mind United. In the mudbath of the Optus Stadium in Perth last year, Van de Beek looked like someone who had turned up at Glastonbury but was expecting the opera of Glyndebourne.