Manchester United supporters are waiting patiently by their mobile phones and electronic devices to see who fits the bill for Erik ten Hag and signs first on the dotted-line. Modern technology will play right into hand, there, as the Dutchman sets about his much-needed rebuild.
No matter where they are in world over these coming weeks, dedicated match-goers and followers from afar will have the future at their fingertips. Sitting behind a desk in Manchester, meanwhile, an old fashioned pen and paper will suffice for a man who, incidentally, embraces forward thinking.
When jotting down his transfer list in long or short format, it would be impossible not to denote the 'ironic' nudge here. United and Ten Hag need a world-class midfielder and, yet, they are about to lose one on a free transfer - not for the first time.
READ MORE: Sir Alex Ferguson was right about Paul Pogba during Manchester United meeting
Paul Pogba ticks every single box for the outsider. Only, as United know too-well, a second coming that promised so much has failed to deliver and Pogba continues to divide opinion like no other. Did he under-perform or was he not up to the task? Was he let down by the club, his manager(s) or what stood beside him? Was he to blame?
You could argue each and every one of those points and follow it up with an equally convincing counter, but none of that matters now Pogba has drawn a line under his Old Trafford encore. Perhaps another setting will allow him to shine, while anyone else with a similar CV or pedigree would have sat top of the list for Ten Hag.
It just wasn't meant to be. However, in one of his final parting shots, Pogba delivered some handy if obvious advice Ten Hag must take on board when conjuring up his masterplan for United après Pogba.
"It's simple with France, I play and I play in my position. I know my role and feel the confidence of the coach and the players. It's normal to feel a difference at Manchester United because it's hard to be consistent when you often have a change to your position, or the team system, or your [midfield] partners."
The words from Pogba when speaking to French outlet Le Figaro during the March internationals. It was a sign that he already, if we didn't know, had one foot out the door.
Pogba continued: "I get along very well with [France manager Didier Deschamps], he gave me a role I know - but at Manchester United do I really have a role? I ask the question, but I don't have an answer."
Questions aplenty were waiting for Ten Hag in his inbox after flying in from Amsterdam to Manchester via London; the first of which he has answered in compelling fashion. Three departures in the space of 48 hours underlines that, and the next item on the agenda for him will be incomings.
Speculation over their identity will depend on which news source you consume. However, identity is THE vital cog to get turning from this summer and the Dutchman will not have needed Pogba to point that out. He does, though, offer further damning of the clouded thinking which has beset United for far too many years.
Pogba leaves Manchester with a contested on-field legacy and, yet, nobody can understate what he has achieved when wearing his beloved Tricolour. As for the clarity he desired here, that must be at the forefront for Ten Hag, his summer recruits and, perhaps more importantly, existing squad members.
Sign up to our United newsletter so you never miss an update from Old Trafford this season.
