Erik ten Hag has become Manchester United's fifth permanent manager since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.
During the intervening years, there have been fleeting moments when it seemed the club was moving in a forward direction.
But, right here, right now, they are further away from challenging for major honours than they have been since Ferguson first arrived at the club in the mid 1980s.
In a sense, Ten Hag is in a good position. After what has gone before, under David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, there is a sense that structural issues are the real problem at Old Trafford and until they are sorted, any manager will find the job tough.