In October 2018, Donny van de Beek, aged just 21, was starting for Ajax against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. By the end of that season, he had scored 17 goals from midfield, one of which came in a Champions League semifinal at Tottenham Hotspur. A few weeks later, he played against England and Portugal as Netherlands finished runners-up in the Nations League and by 2020, he had earned himself a €45 million transfer to Manchester United.
But rather than the next step up in a career which until that point had gone from strength to strength, his move to Old Trafford triggered a decline so sharp that when head coach Louis van Gaal names his Netherlands squad for the 2022 World Cup, there won't be any questions about why Van de Beek isn't included.