Manchester United concluded their pre-season over the weekend with two results and performances that underlined just how much work Erik ten Hag still has to do if the club is to rise again.
Following a successful tour of Thailand and Australia that saw United beat Liverpool, Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace before drawing with Aston Villa, here was a little reality check before the real business begins.
Ten Hag divided his squad for two matches in a little over 24 hours, with his strongest XI losing 1-0 to Atletico Madrid in Oslo on Saturday before a second string drew 1-1 with Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford on Sunday.