It was unseasonably bright for November when Ruben Amorim arrived at Carrington for the first time. As he stepped out of the black Mercedes van that took him straight to the training ground from Manchester Airport's private terminal, he was met by Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada, sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox.
"You see the weather?" Amorim said with a beaming smile. Yet the sun didn't last and by the time the Portuguese tactician held his first news conference as United's new head coach two weeks later, the weather had turned to the usual winter rain and ice.