A new manager promoting an exciting 18-year-old winger from the academy who quickly earns a chant and is swiftly remunerated. Alejandro Garnacho has captured the imagination of Manchester United fans as Adnan Januzaj did nearly 10 years ago.
"I wanna tell you, I might as well do, about a boy who can do anything," the song went. "He comes from Belgium, his name is Adnan, Januzaj, Januzaj, Januzaj."
Januzaj was all United fans had to sing about during their worst campaign in a quarter of a century under David Moyes in 2013-14. Nicky Butt, drafted into the coaching staff by Ryan Giggs for his four-game caretaker stint, told the then-Hull City manager Steve Bruce that Januzaj was as good as Giggs.
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Butt was convinced Januzaj would have become a superstar had he possessed the mentality of the driven Giggs. Januzaj, now 28, is on loan at Basaksehir from Sevilla, having only moved to Andalusia in the summer.
Januzaj inherited Giggs's number 11 in 2014 but his cavalier approach jarred with the authoritarian Louis van Gaal. Januzaj told me in February 2021 he would still be at United but for Van Gaal.
"It was the staff - his (Van Gaal's) staff because I had to do whatever he was saying. I was a young boy, I just had to stay calm and, like we say, I just had to shut up and work on the pitch! That's it. That's the most you could do, there's nothing else you could do. You just had to accept it and enjoy and play for your football.
"If you don't have the right people, the right coaches who can push you further then it would be really difficult for you to show yourself on the pitch, to express yourself."
Januzaj also believed his own hype as a youngster. Aged 18, he was dating a Mancunian girl but did not have a driving licence and was not prepared to rely on Manchester's public transport.
So Januzaj enlisted his own driver to navigate him to the girl's house and collect her for date nights, like Dan Aykroyd's Louis Winthorpe III being chaperoned by Denholm Elliott's disapproving butler in Trading Places.
Garnacho is still driven into Carrington by his father but he is well aware of his worth. There is the bleached hair, the umpteen tattoos, the gender-reveal film trailer on Instagram and self-congratulatory celebration at Fulham, where he removed his shirt, hoisted it and displayed his name to the United supporters in the Putney Road End.
He has had a glow-up, too. There is an uncanny resemblance with his idol Cristiano Ronaldo after Garnacho's recent dental work. The image of Garnacho embracing Ronaldo is also gone from the Argentine's cover photo on Twitter. Now it is a rear image of his Eminem dye job and the resplendent red shirt bearing his surname.
All of that and Garnacho is not 19 until July. You better be good to be so confident and Garnacho is. His five goals have either been winners or secured a win. Against Wolves on Saturday, United supporters chanted his name with gusto repeatedly as he warmed up and there was a celebratory cheer when he eventually emerged in the 81st minute. Garnacho scored nervelessly 13 minutes later.
Garnacho is United's outstanding game-changer off the bench. He emerged with United losing or drawing against Aston Villa, Manchester City and Barcelona and left the pitch a winner on each occasion.
He is enjoying more than an annus mirabilis. It was 382 days ago that Ralf Rangnick sent Garnacho on for his debut as a 17-year-old against Chelsea. His family, in the directors' box that night, were overwhelmed that evening. Six months later, his brother was in tears before kick-off as Garnacho strode out for his full debut against FC Sheriff.
Garnacho's brother has endorsed a promotion to the No.7. There is always a danger of too much too young and you could write a book about Garnacho's United career when he has barely been in Manchester for two-and-a-half years.
He is a United winger in the truest sense; bred in the academy, an FA Youth Cup winner and a near-instant impact in the first team. Just like Giggs.
In Ten Hag, Garnacho has a more modern Dutch coach who is more understanding of Generation Z's habits. Five of the nine questions at Ten Hag's post-match debrief on Sunday were about Garnacho. "One of the aspects for the biggest talent is that they are mature.
"First, they take responsibility and second, they are mature. To bring in the skills, they have belief that they can dominate opponents. And once again he did it.
"He had a big impact in many games either when he's starting or coming on. He's ready, straight into the game and that is so important for the squad that you can bring young players and I'm happy you can bring young players. Hopefully, he can progress so quickly he can compete for a starting XI position because that is his next challenge.
"He is showing when you score some winners - Fulham - the assist against City and now the second goal, he is showing some things. Also sometimes he lacks defensive transition and pressing. He has to step up, when you are going into an action or keep the ball, so decisions. But when you see all over he is a huge talent and he is brave."
Ten Hag's handling of Garnacho has been masterful; disciplining him for his tardiness during pre-season with no playing time from Bangkok to Perth, via Melbourne. For such a vibrant presence, Garnacho was cowed in the rain at the WACA, where Anthony Martial reminded him of his then lowly rank during a keep-ball session.
When Garnacho started in the final pre-season match against Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford, he drew supporters off their seats. The sound of plastic seats clattering and hushed expectation is the ultimate seal of approval at United.
Garnacho is far from the finished article - how could he be? - and there is something unmistakably Dutch about Ten Hag's willingness to publicise Garnacho's shortcomings.
"Decisions, making decisions, scanning situations, when to go into one-on-ones, get behind, when to go for goal, when to give the extra pass or when to give the assist rather than to go for own success. Decisions like that make a good player a top player, that is the difference."
United hope Garnacho will be different from Januzaj.
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