Michael Carrick will have little time to celebrate his appointment as Manchester United interim manager until the end of the season.
As far as first assignments go, Carrick has been thrown a hand grenade. It starts with a Manchester derby against City on Saturday before a trip to Premier League leaders Arsenal next week.
Conversely, maybe they are the best two games Carrick could have hoped for. His appointment was only made off the back of Ruben Amorim's sacking and Darren Fletcher overseeing an FA Cup exit against Brighton. Expectations aren't exactly high at Old Trafford just now.
We look at the most pressing problems in Carrick's Old Trafford in-tray.
1. Get back to the 'United Way'
The phrase is loaded with history and myth and by no means exclusive to United. It refers to a fixed tactical system, principles and identity developed over many decades. It's not part of the club's DNA, it is it. Players are expected to produce a certain brand of football – entertaining, brave, and willing to die for the shirt. Most of all, they are expected to win.
Nostalgia plays a huge part at any club, but with United seemingly in eternal decline, it's even more prevalent. History (and fantastic wages) is really all the club can offer any player or manager to entice them to Old Trafford these days. There have been trophies since United last won the Premier League in 2013, but erosion and rot set in long ago.
Fans of a certain vintage will remember the last great United side, one in which Carrick was seminal. One of the most stylish and accomplished midfielders of his generation, Carrick represented a different type of holding midfielder to say a Claude Makelele or N'Golo Kante.
Carrick's best attributes were calmness in possession and a passing range that cut through defences and were the basis for wave after wave of United attacks.
He represents United's link to a glorious past and an uncertain future. During his 12 years at Old Trafford, Carrick won five Premier League titles, one European Cup (from three finals), an FA Cup and three League Cups.
None of those were achieved because of the team's reckless abandon, but because of the controlled chaos Alex Ferguson had spent decades drilling.
Even if it's for the short term, United clearly see him as the best choice to reinstate those traditions. But Carrick is hampered by personnel, not principles. He played alongside some of the greatest names in United's history.
Instead of Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane and Ryan Giggs, Carrick must work with a cast that reads Benjamin Sesko, Manuel Ugarte, Casemiro and Patrick Dorgu.
The 'United Way' meant playing on the front foot, high-tempo, suffocating the opposition into submission. United were a team even rival fans would pay to watch. That's not what it means today, and Carrick's first task is to try to implement those ideals once again.
2. Play a system that suits the players
Amorim was unashamedly wedded to a 3-4-3 system. Even in the face of bad results, poor performances and discontent from the board and the terraces, the Portuguese was reluctant to renege on his favourite formation. Few in the United squad seemed suited to it, and it showed.
The nuances between playing full-back and wing-back are subtle, but they are there. One is fixed, with an expectation of when to get close to your centre-back in defence, when to overlap your winger or midfield, when to hold position. The other is in constant flux, always playing on the half-turn, unsure in any phase of play.
That's not to say it can't be done. There are plenty of good wingbacks around and throughout history. But other than goalkeeper, it's probably the only other specialised position on the pitch.
Let's take Luke Shaw as an example. Under Amorim, one of the best left-backs in England was deployed as the left-sided defender in a back three. He never looked comfortable, never convinced.
Diogo Dalot has played in every defensive position, both wing-back roles and at right wing this season. Both are obviously full-backs, and this isn't to point them out for special criticism, more an indictment of how Amorim failed to play to their strengths.
Dorgu is another case in point. By Amorim's own admission, the Dane looked "anxious" on the ball when playing at left wing-back. He played him at right wing against Newcastle and looked a world beater (before inevitably switching him to left wing-back for the second half and playing Dalot at right-wing).
Caemiro has pedigree but can resemble a cart horse against more mobile midfielders. Undoubtedly, Bruno Fernandes is the beating heart of United, but too often drops deep to collect the ball. United's fulcrum needs to be receiving the ball where he can do genuine damage further up the field.
Under Amorim, the team looked disjointed, unsure of themselves and exactly what was required of them. The formation played a part, but it's by no means the sole reason for their downturn. Carrick is unlikely to stick with a system so wholly unsuited to his squad.
3. Make Kobbie Mainoo central to plans
Another core value of the 'United Way' was giving young players a chance to prove themselves. From a young age they were encouraged not to be afraid to make mistakes, take advice from senior pros and play without fear.
The conveyor belt of United talent reads like a who's who of greats: Giggs, Scholes, David Beckham, Nicky Butt, the Neville brothers. United were never afraid to spend big money on players, but the core of the squad always had to come from within.
There have been a few off the production line since those illustrious names, but none have hit their collective heights, and all are doing much better away from Manchester anyway. Marcus Rashford is brimming at Barcelona, Mason Greenwood is making his mark at Marseille, Scott McTominay is MVP-ing at Napoli.
The one young player many at United are pinning their hopes on is Kobbie Mainoo. There are questions over the player's own sense of entitlement, but at age 20, Mainoo could still have a bright future at Old Trafford, if given the chance, something he found hard to come by under Amorim.
Big things were expected of the midfielder following some bright displays for England at Euro 2024, but at club level, Mainoo – like many at United – has seen his progress stall.
Mainoo has been linked with a move in this transfer window, with Italian champions Napoli said to be showing the most interest. Antonio Conte has already revived the careers of United rejects McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund and feels he could do the same with Mainoo.
According to reports, Mainoo's relationship with the United hierarchy is "fragile" following his failure to secure a new contract last year. The midfielder is also believed to have no intention of remaining at Old Trafford if his playing time continues to be restricted.
But Carrick doesn't want to begin his second caretaker spell (he also stepped in when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in 2021) without one of his best talents.
United have no European or cup football as distractions. They are seventh in the Premier League, three points off fourth place. The focus from now until the end of the season is to finish in the Uefa Champions League qualifying places.
Showing trust in a young player launched Carrick's career at West Ham; it was a central ethos during his playing days at United. If Carrick is to take those lessons of the past and apply them to the future, Mainoo could be a mainstay in the team for a generation or more.
