diff --git a/lib/Doctrine/ORM/UnitOfWork.php b/lib/Doctrine/ORM/UnitOfWork.php
index 3ba860b8917..faa6650e287 100644
--- a/lib/Doctrine/ORM/UnitOfWork.php
+++ b/lib/Doctrine/ORM/UnitOfWork.php
@@ -1866,7 +1866,7 @@ private function doMerge($entity, array &$visited, $prevManagedCopy = null, $ass
                 }
             }
 
-            if ($class->isVersioned) {
+            if ($class->isVersioned && $this->isLoaded($managedCopy) && $this->isLoaded($entity)) {
                 $reflField          = $class->reflFields[$class->versionField];
                 $managedCopyVersion = $reflField->getValue($managedCopy);
                 $entityVersion      = $reflField->getValue($entity);
@@ -1879,7 +1879,7 @@ private function doMerge($entity, array &$visited, $prevManagedCopy = null, $ass
 
             $visited[$oid] = $managedCopy; // mark visited
 
-            if (!($entity instanceof Proxy && ! $entity->__isInitialized())) {
+            if ($this->isLoaded($entity)) {
                 if ($managedCopy instanceof Proxy && ! $managedCopy->__isInitialized()) {
                     $managedCopy->__load();
                 }
@@ -1904,6 +1904,18 @@ private function doMerge($entity, array &$visited, $prevManagedCopy = null, $ass
         return $managedCopy;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Tests if an entity is loaded (Not a proxy or a non initialized proxy)
+     *
+     * @param $entity
+     *
+     * @return bool
+     */
+    private function isLoaded($entity)
+    {
+        return !($entity instanceof Proxy) || $entity->__isInitialized();
+    }
+
     /**
      * Sets/adds associated managed copies into the previous entity's association field
      *
diff --git a/tests/Doctrine/Tests/Models/VersionedOneToMany/Article.php b/tests/Doctrine/Tests/Models/VersionedOneToMany/Article.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..bd0cfdf4803
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Doctrine/Tests/Models/VersionedOneToMany/Article.php
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Doctrine\Tests\Models\VersionedOneToMany;
+
+use Doctrine\Common\Collections\ArrayCollection;
+
+/**
+ * @Entity
+ * @Table(name="article")
+ */
+class Article
+{
+    /**
+     * @Id
+     * @Column(name="id", type="integer")
+     * @GeneratedValue(strategy="AUTO")
+     */
+    public $id;
+
+    /**
+     * @Column(name="name")
+     */
+    public $name;
+
+    /**
+     * @ManyToOne(targetEntity="Category", inversedBy="category", cascade={"merge", "persist"})
+     */
+    public $category;
+
+    /**
+     * Version column
+     *
+     * @Column(type="integer", name="version")
+     * @Version
+     */
+    public $version;
+
+    /**
+     * Category constructor.
+     */
+    public function __construct()
+    {
+        $this->tags = new ArrayCollection();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/Doctrine/Tests/Models/VersionedOneToMany/Category.php b/tests/Doctrine/Tests/Models/VersionedOneToMany/Category.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d4dbdefbba5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Doctrine/Tests/Models/VersionedOneToMany/Category.php
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Doctrine\Tests\Models\VersionedOneToMany;
+
+use Doctrine\Common\Collections\ArrayCollection;
+
+/**
+ * @Entity
+ * @Table(name="category")
+ */
+class Category
+{
+    /**
+     * @Id
+     * @Column(name="id", type="integer")
+     * @GeneratedValue(strategy="AUTO")
+     */
+    public $id;
+
+    /**
+     * @OneToMany(targetEntity="Article", mappedBy="category", cascade={"merge", "persist"})
+     */
+    public $articles;
+
+    /**
+     * @Column(name="name")
+     */
+    public $name;
+
+    /**
+     * Version column
+     *
+     * @Column(type="integer", name="version")
+     * @Version
+     */
+    public $version;
+
+    /**
+     * Category constructor.
+     */
+    public function __construct()
+    {
+        $this->articles = new ArrayCollection();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/Functional/MergeVersionedOneToManyTest.php b/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/Functional/MergeVersionedOneToManyTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b51a24013c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/Functional/MergeVersionedOneToManyTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Doctrine\Tests\ORM\Functional;
+
+use Doctrine\ORM\OptimisticLockException;
+use Doctrine\ORM\ORMException;
+use Doctrine\Tests\Models\VersionedOneToMany\Article;
+use Doctrine\Tests\Models\VersionedOneToMany\Category;
+
+/**
+ *
+ * @group MergeVersionedOneToMany
+ */
+class MergeVersionedOneToManyTest extends \Doctrine\Tests\OrmFunctionalTestCase
+{
+    protected function setUp()
+    {
+        parent::setUp();
+
+        try {
+            $this->_schemaTool->createSchema(
+                [
+                    $this->_em->getClassMetadata('Doctrine\Tests\Models\VersionedOneToMany\Category'),
+                    $this->_em->getClassMetadata('Doctrine\Tests\Models\VersionedOneToMany\Article'),
+                ]
+            );
+        } catch (ORMException $e) {
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * This test case asserts that a detached and unmodified entity could be merge without firing
+     * OptimisticLockException.
+     */
+    public function testSetVersionOnCreate()
+    {
+        $category = new Category();
+        $category->name = 'Category';
+
+        $article = new Article();
+        $article->name = 'Article';
+        $article->category = $category;
+
+        $this->_em->persist($article);
+        $this->_em->flush();
+        $this->_em->clear();
+
+        $articleMerged = $this->_em->merge($article);
+
+        $articleMerged->name = 'Article Merged';
+
+        $this->_em->flush();
+        $this->assertEquals(2, $articleMerged->version);
+    }
+}