When Donny van de Beek completed his £40million move to Old Trafford from Ajax, Edwin van der Sar took out a full-page advert in the Manchester Evening News with a message for his old club.
‘We understand it’s time for Donny to move on. To dream on,’ declared Van der Sar, a Champions League-winning goalkeeper with Manchester United in 2008 and now Ajax’s chief executive.
‘And where better to do so than in your theatre. Please take good care of our Donny and help him dream.’
Eighteen months on, his words have a hollow ring.