MATTHIJS DE LIGT was once the Golden Boy - literally.
That is the name of the annual award given to the best male player aged under 21 in a poll run by Italian media outlet Tuttosport.
But since the 2018/19 season in which the Dutchman received the gong and helped Ajax reach the Champions League semi-finals under Erik ten Hag, he has not lived up to that billing.
Now De Ligt and Manchester United hope being reunited with Ten Hag at Old Trafford will put the 25 year old back on track to become the superstar that everyone thought he would be.
The feeling in Holland is that the centre back needs to rediscover the balance between quality on the ball and physical strength that he displayed as yet another Ajax prodigy.
Ten Hag and De Ligt have kept in touch since they parted ways five years ago and now it is down to the United boss to help his former protege fulfil the potential that was identified so early on his career.
For a while, De Ligt carried the burden of expectation really well.
Even before becoming the first defender ever to lift the Golden Boy trophy in December 2018, he had enjoyed other landmark moments.
By scoring on his Ajax debut in September 2016, shortly after his 17th birthday, he became the club’s second youngest goalscorer after Clarence Seedorf.
When he made his senior international debut in March 2017, he was the youngest player to start for Holland since 1931.
And two months later, he set a new record for the youngest player to appear in a major European final when Ajax lost 2-0 to United in the Europa League showpiece.
De Ligt was the very model of a modern ball-playing centre half.
He was an early developer and his physicality alone would have allowed him to dominate opposition strikers in youth football.
But Ajax don’t let their young players get away with that.
They have to play in a variety of positions and be comfortable receiving and passing the ball in a 4-3-3 formation.
Ten Hag’s team dominated possession, allowing one centre back to step into midfield to create an overload and leaving the other to hold the fort.
De Ligt had many other qualities, too, including leadership.
In March 2018, Ten Hag made him Ajax’s youngest ever captain at the age of 18.
And De Ligt led the club in their remarkable 2018/19 season.
Ajax claimed a domestic double and came within seconds of a place in the Champions League final, only for Lucas Moura’s late late goal for Tottenham to snatch it from them.
De Ligt earned a £67.5m move to Juventus that summer and won Serie A in his first season there, then the Coppa Italia in his second.
But the particular demands of Italian football seemed to be changing him - and not for the better.
In Italy, defenders are still expected to defend first, and play football second.
De Ligt seemed to be relying too much on his 6ft 2in frame and not showing much of his ability on the ball.
Mistakes were also creeping into his game.
While fellow Dutchman Stefan de Vrij was a consistent, calm presence at the heart of the Inter Milan defence, De Ligt was gaining a reputation for throwing himself into challenges.
Some of them resulted in Juventus conceding penalties for handball.
Then at the delayed Euro 2020 tournament, a bad decision cost Holland dear, too.
The last 16 clash with Czechia was 0-0 early in the second half when De Ligt denied Patrik Schick a goalscoring opportunity with a handball and was sent off.
The Czechs went on to win 2-0 and De Ligt admitted it was his fault.
But De Ligt’s overall form in Italy was good enough to convince Bayern Munich to spend an initial £59.5m on him in the summer of 2022.
Again, his first season at his new club ended with a league title, despite Julian Nagelsmann’s shock sacking.
In the second campaign, however, a knee injury disrupted his rhythm and he at times found himself as Thomas Tuchel’s third-choice centre back behind Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-Jae.
Bayern’s failure to win the Bundesliga for the first time in 12 years left the club in flux.
There are conflicting accounts about how keen new boss Vincent Kompany was to keep De Ligt.
Whatever the truth, it became clear that the club was open to offers for the Dutchman to raise money for reshaping other areas of the squad.
Many Bayern fans were furious, with more than 70,000 signing a petition demanding that the Dutchman should not be sold, but to no avail.
The initial payment of £38.5m agreed with United for De Ligt means that has now commanded fees totalling more than £150m at the age of just 25.
Yet there remains a feeling that he has not had the career to match.De Ligt did not play a single minute at Euro 2024.
Ronald Koeman’s favoured centre backs were Virgil Van Dijk and De Vrij, and Micky van de Ven his first choice substitute.
De Ligt admitted being left on the bench had led to him consulting a psychologist.
Now it is down to Ten Hag to get him right in body and mind to rediscover in full the form of his early years.
Ten Hag’s recruitment from Ajax so far does not inspire a great deal of confidence.
Antony is yet to come close to living up to his £85.5m fee.
Doubts linger over £43.8m goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Lisandro Martinez, whom Ten Hag signed for Ajax after De Ligt’s departure, is the best buy so far despite injury issues.
The plan seems to be for De Ligt’s cultured approach to defending to complement Martinez’s more no-nonsense philosophy, with the injured Leny Yoro as their long-term competition.
De Ligt has a good support network from a family of high achievers.
Dad Frank is a leading pharmacist, while father-in-law Keje Molenaar was a defender for Ajax, Feyenoord and Holland before becoming a successful lawyer.
De Ligt’s personality - he has a reputation for being intelligent, good-natured and honest - should be a hit with team-mates and fans.
But it is on the pitch where Ten Hag really needs De Ligt to show his quality.
United’s traditions, like those of Ajax, demand winning, but winning with style.
The Golden Boy of six years ago would be the perfect fit.