When Manchester United finally took the decision to keep faith with Erik ten Hag last month, they were keen to emphasise that next season would be different to the disaster of a campaign that came before.
After considering a number of options and holding serious talks with Thomas Tuchel, United decided that Ten Hag was still the best man for the job. That was despite ending the campaign in eighth, their lowest Premier League finish, losing 14 games and having a negative goal difference.
The FA Cup final win over Manchester City, the champions' only defeat of 2024, showed that Ten Hag was still a top coach, so went the logic, while there were mitigating circumstances to explain their terrible league form and the fact they had bombed out of the Champions League and Carabao Cup.
The worst injury record in the league was clearly a key factor but so too was the fact that the club was undergoing a strategic review for half the season. And even after INEOS' partial takeover was confirmed in February, there was still a transition period - hardly ideal circumstances to work in.
"Our review concluded that Erik deserves a chance to show what more he is capable of within the new sporting structure we are building," explained a club source at the time.
However, one month out from the new season, it looks like Ten Hag still has a lot of influence on what goes on at Old Trafford. Rather than his position being weakened by the confusion surrounding his future, he appears emboldened.