The longest of foregone conclusions will play out at Old Trafford tonight when Manchester United complete the formality of eliminating LASK Linz from the Europa League.
While United left the Linzer Stadion after a 5-0 first-leg win in March knowing their place in the quarter-finals was all but guaranteed, they did not think it would take almost five months to finish the job.
The competition resumes tonight and reaches a conclusion on August 21.
It is an unprecedented situation that will mean United playing four times in 17 days — one game in Manchester and three more in a mini-tournament in Cologne — if they are to win this trophy again.