Erik ten Hag has kept a straight face and played an even straighter bat to questions about Cristiano Ronaldo this summer.
From Bangkok to Oslo, Melbourne to Manchester, Ten Hag has toed the party line and said all the right things about his absent star.
Ronaldo missed Manchester United's pre-season tour for family reasons, he explained. The player is not for sale and remains under contract.
No sooner has Ronaldo returned to training and made his first appearance of the summer, though, than Ten Hag's patience is clearly wearing thin.